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SKETCHES 


NORTH    CAROLINA, 


HISTORICAL   AND   BIOGRAPHICAL. 


ILLUSTRATIVE 


OF  THE  PRINCIPLES 


OF  A  PORTION  OF  HER  EARLY  SETTLERS. 


REV.  WILLIAM  HENRY  FOOTE. 

ii 


N  E  W    YORK: 
ROBERT     CARTER,    58    CANAL    STREET. 

1846. 


%%%  «* 


Entered  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1846,  by 

ROBERT     CARTER, 

in  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  for  the  Southern  District  of  New  York. 


DEDICATION. 


To  the  Ministers  of  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina,  with  whom  I  have  been 
associated  in  arduous  labors  for  about  seven  years,  and  whose  counsel  and 
assistance  and  cheerful  welcome  it  has  been  my  happiness  to  enjoy, — 

MOST   RESPECTFULLY  : 

And  to  the  Elders  and  Churches  with  whom  I  have  labored  in  the  cause 
of  benevolence ;  whose  attachment  to  sound  doctrine  and  the  church  of  their 
fathers  has  been  so  often  and  so  agreeably  displayed ;  whose  hospitality  has 
spread  around  me,  times  almost  innumerable,  the  comforts  and  luxuries  of 
life,— 

MOST   KINDLY  : 

And  to  the  Children,  who  by  their  affectionate  cheerfulness  have  been  my 
solace  in  hours  of  weariness  and  exhaustion ;  the  hope  of  the  Church  and  of 
the  State, — 

MOST   TENDERLY : 

And  to  the  Citizens  of  the  sedate  and  sober  State  of  North  Carolina  gene- 
rally, inheriting  so  much  that  is  estimable  from  past  generations, — 

WITH    SENTIMENTS   OF    STRONG   REGARD    AND    WELL-WISHDNG  ; 

Is  this  Volume  dedicated  by 


THE    AUTHOR, 


WILLIAM  HENRY  FOOTE. 


Romney,  Hampshire  County,  Virginia., 
October,  1846. 


M2CX5690 


INTRODUCTORY  CHAPTER. 


North  Carolina,  in  the  days  of  colonial  dependence,  was  the  refuge  of  tin 
poor  and  the  oppressed.  In  her  borders  the  emigrant,  the  fugitive,  and  the 
exile  found  a  home.  Whatever  may  have  been  the  cause  of  leaving  the  land 
of  their  nativity — political  servitude, — tyranny  over  conscience, — or  poverty  of 
means,  with  the  hope  of  bettering  their  condition, — the  descendants  of  these 
enterprising,  suffering,  afflicted,  yet  prospered  people,  have  cause  to  bless  the 
kind  Providence  that  led  their  fathers,  in  their  wanderings,  to  such  a  place  of 
rest. 

Her  sandy  plains,  and  threatening  breakers  jutting  out  into  the  ocean,  met 
the  voyagers  sent  out  by  Sir  Walter  Raleigh  in  1584,  and  the  island  of  Woco- 
ken  afforded  the  landing-place,  "  as  some  delicate  garden  abounding  with  all 
kinds  of  odoriferous  flowers,"  and  witnessed  the  ceremonial  of  taking  possession 
of  the  country  for  the  Queen  of  England,  who  soon  after  gave  it  the  name  of 
Virginia.  The  island  of  Roanoke,  between  Pamtico  and  Albemarle  Sounds,  in 
the  domains  of  Granganimeo,  afforded  the  first  colony  of  English  a  home  so 
quiet,  with  a  climate  so  mild,  and  with  fruits  so  abundant,  that  the  tempest- 
tossed  mariners  extolled  it  in  their  letters  to  their  countrymen  as  an  earthly 
paradise.  So  no  doubt  it  seemed  to  them  the  first  summer  of  their  residence, 
in  1585  ;  and  notwithstanding  the  disastrous  conclusion  of  that  and  succeeding 
colonies,  so  the  adjoining  country  has  seemed  to  many  generations  that  have 
risen,  and  flourished,  and  passed  away,  in  the  long  succession  of  years,  since 
the  wife  of  Granganimeo,  in  savage  state,  feasted  the  first  adventurers. 

Her  extended  champaign  around  the  head  streams  of  the  numerous  rivers 
that  flow  through  her  own  borders,  and  those  of  South  Carolina,  to  the  ocean, 
cherished  into  numbers,  and  wealth,  and  civil  and  religious  independence,  the 
emigrants  from  a  rougher  climate  and  more  unfriendly  soil,  of  the  north  of  Ire- 
land and  the  Highlands  of  Scotland.  The  quiet  of  the  vast  solitudes  and  forests 
of  North  Carolina  lured  these  hard-working  men,  who,  in  their  poverty  and 
transatlantic  subjection,  cherished  the  principles  of  religion,  wealth  and  inde- 
pendence, to  seek  in  them  the  abode  of  domestic  blessedness,  and  the  repose  of 
liberty.  Far  from  the  ocean,  in  a  province  without  seaports,  and  unfrequented 
by  wealthy  emigrants,  the  clustered  settlements  had  space  and  time  to  follow 
out  their  principles  of  religion,  morality  and  politics  to  their  legitimate  ends  ; 
and  the  first  declaration  of  Entire  Independence  of  the  British  crown  was  heard 
in  the  province  that  afforded  a  resting-place  to  the  first  colony. 


X  INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTER. 

Carolina  was  settled  by  emigrants  from  different  parts  of  the  kingdom  of 
Great  Britain  and  her  American  provinces,  in  such  numbers,  and  in  such  re- 
mote situations,  that  it  is  comparatively  easy  to  follow  the  line  of  their  descend- 
ants, and  trace  out  the  workings  of  their  principles  and  habits  upon  themselves, 
the  commonwealth,  and  the  country  at  large.  Every  state  of  society  owes 
much  of  its  character  for  excellence  or  demerit,  to  the  generations  that  pre- 
ceded ;  the  present  is  a  reflected  image  of  the  past ;  and  men  must  search  among 
their  ancestors  for  the  principles,  and  causes,  and  springs  of  action,  and  mould- 
ing influences,  that  have  made  society  and  themselves  what  they  are.  The 
present  generation  of  Carolinians  look  back  to  the  men  that  drove  the  wild 
beasts  from  the  forests,  and  displaced  the  savages,  as  the  fathers  of  a  republic 
more  blessed  than  the  most  favored  of  antiquity ;  and  may  well  ask  what 
principles  of  religion  and  morals, — what  habits  made  us  what  we  are.  In  an- 
swer to  these  questions  there  is  no  good  civil  history  of  the  State ;  and  with  the 
honorable  exception  of  the  life  of  Caldwell,  by  Mr.  Caruthers,  there  is  no  church 
history ;  and  the  traditions  that  reached  back  to  the  settlement  of  the  country, 
are,  for  the  most  part,  passing  away,  or  becoming  dimmed  in  the  horizon  of  uncer- 
tainty. The  prospect,  then,  is,  that  the  coming  generations  will  be  ignorant  of 
their  ancestors  and  their  deeds,  and  like  the  Greeks  and  Romans,  be  compelled 
to  go  back  to  a  fabulous  antiquity  to  search  in  dreams  and  conjectures  for  the 
first  link  in  a  chain  of  causes,  the  progression  of  which  is  so  full  of  blessedness. 

It  may  be  well  for  some  people,  that  the  mist  of  antiquity  hides  in  uncer- 
tainty, the  lowness  of  their  origin  ;  and  that  aspersion  has  sometimes  been  cast 
on  Carolina.  But  if  any  people  may  glory  in  their  forefathers,  the  Carolinians, 
at  least  a  part  of  them,  may  glory  in  theirs,  and  cherish  their  principles  with 
the  firm  confidence  that  they  will  make  their  descendants  better,  and  the  pro- 
gress of  excellence  shall  never  end.  No  human  mind  can  tell  with  certainty, 
or  even  conjecture  plausibly,  where  the  principles  of  the  men,  that  did  so  much 
for  their  posterity,  will  lead ;  though  they  may  be  certain  the  pathway  shall  be 
resplendent,  and  the  goal  glorious. 

The  history  of  principles  is  the  history  of  States.  And  the  youth  of  Caro- 
lina might  study  both  on  one  interesting  page,  were  there  a  fair  record  of  past 
events  presented  to  their  perusal.  They  might  learn  at  home  something  better 
than  the  histories  of  Greece  and  Rome,  or  the  Assyrian  and  Babylonian,  or  all 
the  eastern  and  western  empires  of  the  world,  have  ever  taught.  They  would 
find  examples  worthy  of  all  praise,  and  actions  deserving  a  generous  emulation. 
They  would  be  impressed  most  deeply  with  the  conviction  that  people  and  ac- 
tions worthy  of  such  examples  must  be  the  citizens  and  the  acts  of  the  happiest 
nation  on  earth. 

The  following  pages  are  an  effort  to  open  the  way  for  some  future  historian 
to  do  full  justice  to  the  past,  by  recording  the  events  that  are  so  honorable,  and 
to  the  future  by  presenting  a  page  full  of  interest  and  instruction,  all  true,  and 
all  encouraging.     They  contain  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  population  of 


INTRODUCTORY    CHAPTER.  xi 

North  Carolina  as  far  as  it  has  been  yet  collected  from  traditions,  records  of  the 
churches  and  ecclesiastical  bodies  and  printed  volumes  that  refer  incidentally 
to  this  people  and  their  principles  and  their  doings.  Though  the  history  of  a 
denomination,  it  is  not  sectarian,  because  it  must  of  necessity  be  the  history  of 
a  large  part  of  the  State ;  and  because  it  is  also  a  fair  record  of  events.  Every 
denomination  has  the  liberty  of  producing  a  series  of  events  in  their  past  history 
of  equal  or  greater  interest,  and  it  will  be  neither  bigoted,  sectarian,  or  am- 
bitious. 

The  author  has  had  some  peculiar  advantages  in  gathering  the  facts  related 
in  the  following  pages.  For  about  seven  years  he  was  constantly  engaged  in 
the  active  duties  of  Secretary  of  Foreign  Missions  ;  and  in  their  fulfilment  was 
called  to  visit  most  of  the  Presbyterian  congregations  in  North  Carolina  and 
Virginia  repeatedly.  In  conversation  with  the  aged  ministers  and  members  of 
the  church,  he  heard  many  things  to  which  he  listened  with  emotion,  and  asked 
to  hear  them  again ;  and  then  repeated  them  to  others ;  and  then  wrote  them 
down ;  and  then  corrected  and  enlarged  the  notes  ;  and  then  occasionally  pub- 
lished a  chapter  in  the  Watchman  of  the  South,  the  reading  of  which  often 
induced  persons  in  possession  of  interesting  facts  to  communicate  them  either 
to  the  writer  personally,  or  to  the  public  through  the  Watchman ;  and  then  to 
consulting  manuscripts  and  records  as  far  as  they  were  known  to  have  any 
relation  to  the  matters  in  hand,  or  as  they  fell  in  his  way,  and  commonly  he 
stumbled,  as  it  were,  upon  them  most  unexpectedly,  as  he  passed  around  in  his 
arduous  undertakings ;  and  then  as  the  agency  in  which  he  was  engaged  was 
drawing  to  a  close,  in  looking  over  the  memoranda  of  interesting  events  that 
had  accumulated  upon  his  hands,  the  purpose  was  formed  of  making  a  volume 
of  sketches  relating  to  past  events  in  the  Presbyterian  settlements  of  Virginia 
and  Carolina,  few  of  which  had  ever  been  in  print  except  in  the  columns  of  a 
weekly  periodical,  and  most  were  fast  passing  away  from  the  knowledge  of  the 
living,  as  that  generation  whose  fathers  were  actors  in  the  most  interesting 
scenes  of  the  early  settlement,  and  from  whom  many  of  these  traditions  were 
received  by  the  writer,  were  fast  entering  the  unseen  world,  when  he  com- 
menced committing  their  communications  to  paper,  and  have  now  but  here  and 
there  a  solitary  representative  in  the  land  of  the  living.  In  this  state  of  the 
case  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina,  during  the  annual  session  held  in  Fayette- 
ville,  November,  1844,  by  a  committee,  invited  the  writer  to  use  his  materials, 
and  others  that  might  be  put  into  his  hands,  in  preparing  a  history  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church  in  North  Carolina  ;  such  a  history  as  might  show  the  influ- 
ence of  Presbyterian  doctrines,  habits,  and  population,  upon  the  past  and  present 
generations  of  citizens  of  the  North  State,  and  in  some  degree  also  upon  the 
population  of  those  States  which  owe  much  to  the  emigration  from  Carolina. 
The  only  hesitation  the  writer  felt  in  acceding  to  this  honorable  proposal,  arose 
from  the  circumstance,  that  as  the  population  of  a  part  of  Virginia  and  North 
Carolina  were  homogeneous,  and  were  for  a  long  time  connected  in  the  same 


301  INTRODUCTORY     CHAPTER. 

Presbytery,  and  have  always  since  been  more  or  less  connected  in  their  religious 
and  benevolent  actions,  there  might  arise  a  difficulty  in  giving  a  fair  history  of 
the  church  and  people,  disconnected  from  the  church  in  Virginia,  which  was 
senior  in  point  of  time  and  always  intimately  connected  in  action.  But  upon 
farther  reflection  and  conversation  with  judicious  friends,  it  appeared  there  were 
ample  materials,  purely  Carolinian,  to  form  a  volume  of  the  size  desired  by  the 
generality  of  readers,  and  equally  as  ample  materials,  purely  Virginian,  for 
another  ;  and  the  gratification  of  the  readers,  and  the  public  advantage,  would 
be  consulted  by  giving  the  volumes  separate.  The  invitation  of  Synod  was 
then,  after  a  few  explanations,  accepted,  and  the  brethren  generally  most  cheer- 
fully made  offer  of  their  collections  of  facts  and  materials  for  the  history,  which 
they  had  for  some  time  been  gathering  respecting  their  own  particular  charges. 
The  writer  is  under  particular  obligations  to  many  individuals  for  the  mate- 
rials for  the  succeeding  volume.  To  Rev.  John  Robinson,  D.D.,  now  no  more, 
from  whom  he  received  the  first  impulse  to  make  the  collection  of  traditions,  by 
hearing  from  him,  at  his  own  fireside,  the  recital  of  some  of  the  events  that  must 
immortalize  Mecklenburg ;  and  whom  he  visited  for  the  purpose  of  correcting 
and  enlarging  his  traditions,  in  December,  1843,  and  found  preparations  making 
for  his  funeral ; — a  noble,  urbane,  powerful  preacher  of  the  gospel :  to  Rev. 

E.  B.  Currie,  in  whose  retired  cottage  the  writer  gathered  the  principal  facts 
relating  to  Rev.  James  McGready  and  the  revivals  that  accompanied  and  fol- 
lowed his  preaching ;  and  many  of  the  facts  respecting  the  churches  in  Gran- 
ville and  Caswell  counties ;  the  infirmities  of  whose  age  but  enrich  his  experi- 
ence :  to  the  Rev.  Robert  Tate,  from  whom  I  received  much  that  is  recorded 
respecting  the  churches  in  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  himself  the  patriarch 
of  the  present  churches  in  New  Hanover  :  to  the  Rev.  Dr.  Morrison,  for  ma- 
terials for  the  interesting  Memoir  of  his  father-in-law,  J.  Graham ;  and  also  for 
much  concerning  Dr.  Hunter  and  Dr.  Wilson :  to  Dr.  T.  C.  Caldwell,  for 
many  traditions  relating  to  Sugaw  Creek,  received  from  his  father,  and  for  an 
interesting  visit  to  the  old  grave-yard :  to  Dr.  Hunter,  of  Goshen,  for  many 
facts  and  incidents  concerning  his  father,  Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter,  D.D. :  to 
Rev.  Eli  VV.  Caruthers,  for  the  valuable  selections  from  his  Life  of  Rev.  David 
Caldwell,  D.D. :  to  ex-Governor  Swain,  President  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  for  materials  for  the  sketch  of  the  University,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Cald- 
well, D.D.,  and  for  other  interesting  facts:  to  Rev.  Colin  Mclvor,  stated  clerk 
of  the  Synod,  for  a  copy  of  the  minutes  of  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  and  for 
the  translation  of  a  Gaelic  pamphlet:  to  Mr.  Charles  W.  Harris,  for  some 
curious  manuscripts  relating  to  Poplar  Tent,  from  the  pen  of  Mrs.  Alexander  : 
to  Rev.  Alexander  Wilson,  D.D.,  for  facts  concerning  the  county  of  Granville, 
and  the  church  in  Ireland  previous  to  the  emigration :  and  to  Rev.  Messrs. 
Cyrus  Johnson,  J.  M.  M.  Caldwell,  John  M.  Wilson,  James  M.  H.  Adams,  E. 

F.  Rockwell,  A.  Gilchrist,  C.  Shaw,  and  Archibald  Smith,  for  manuscripts, 
pamphlets  and  volumes  relating  to  the  history  of  Presbyterianism  in  their  con- 


INTRODUCTORY     CHAPTER.  Xlll 

gregations :  to  Governors  Morehead  and  Graham,  and  the  public  officers  in 
Raleigh,  for  access  to  the  records  of  the  State  and  the  public  library :  to  Dr. 
Ramsey,  of  Tennessee,  for  much  valuable  information :  and  to  J.  S.  Jones, 
the  author  of  the  Defence  of  North  Carolina,  from  which  many  interesting 
facts  have  been  borrowed :  and  to  Dr.  Pattillo,  of  Charlotte,  for  many  papers 
relating  to  his  grandfather.  Other  sources  of  information  are  acknowledged 
in  the  body  of  the  work. 

It  is  more  than  possible  that  upon  the  perusal  of  these  pages  other  documents 
will  be  brought  to  light  that  shall  confirm  the  principal  facts  here  produced, 
add  others,  and  perhaps  modify  some. 

The  strict  order  of  chronology  could  not  be  followed  in  the  succession  of 
chapters,  but  it  is,  as  far  as  possible,  in  the  events  themselves,  and  also  in  the 
narration. 

The  volume  takes  the  name  of  "Sketches,"  rather  than  that  of  "  History,"  for 
reasons  that  will  be  apparent  on  perusal ;  and  the  author  has  but  one  cause  of 
dissatisfaction  in  reviewing  the  work,  and  that  is,  that  the  Sketches  are  not 
more  worthy  of  the  scenes  and  the  actors. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  I. 


THE  FIRST  DECLARATION    OF  INDEPENDENCE    IN  THE  UNITED  STATES  OF 
AMERICA,  MAY,  ]  775. 

The  Village  of  Charlotte,  its  Situation,  and  Origin  of  its  Name.  The  Con- 
vention, May  19th,  1775,  the  Preparatory  Steps,  its  Organization  and 
Object.  An  Incident  related  by  General  Graham.  Committee  present  the 
Resolutions  drawn  by  Dr.  Brevard.  The  Mecklenburg  Declaration, 
Unanimously  Adopted.  The  Second  Mecklenburg  Declaration. 
Capt.  Jack  takes  the  Declaration  to  Philadelphia,  reads  the  Papers  in  Sa- 
lisbury, is  opposed  by  Dunn  and  Boote.  The  Delegates  decline  laying 
the  Declaration  before  Congress ;  Circulation  and  Preservation  of  the 
Copies.  The  Action  of  the  Committee  in  the  Case  of  Dunn  and  Boote. 
Associations  first  formed  according  to  the  Recommendations  of  Continental 
Congress.  Provincial  Council.  County  Committees  of  Safety.  A  Certi- 
ficate. First  Declaration  of  Independence  by  the  Constituted 
Authorities  of  a  State.  Inquiry  concerning  the  Origin  of  the  People 
forming  the  Convention 33 

CHAPTER  II. 

blood  shed  on  THE  alamance — The  First  Blood  Shed  in  the  Revolution, 
May  16th,  1776. 

The  Situation  and  Origin  of  the  name  of  Hillsborough  ;  its  Connection  with 
Past  Events.  Discontent  in  Orange  and  neighboring  Counties.  Governor 
Tryon  marches  to  Orange  with  Armed  Forces ;  his  first  Visit  and  its  Fail- 
ure. The  Excitement  of  the  People.  The  Eastern  men  mistake  the 
Western.  The  Commencement  of  the  Disturbances.  The  Sheriff  hin- 
dered in  his  Duty,  1760.  Pamphlet  in  Granville,  1765.  Causes  of  the  Com- 


\l 


XVI  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

plaints  among  the  People.  Frauds  of  Childs  and  Corbin  in  Signing  Pa- 
tents. The  Proclamations  Disregarded.  Example  of  Hardship  in  going 
to  Market.  Proposed  meeting  at  Maddock's  Mill,  Oct.  10th,  1766.  Meet- 
ing at  Deep  River.  Fanning's  opinion  of  the  Meeting.  Another  Meet- 
ing, 1767.  Commencement  of  the  Regulation.  Building  the  Govern- 
or's Palace  in  Newbern.  Another  Meeting  in  1768  addresses  the  Govern- 
or ;  his  reply.  Unjustifiable  outbreaks  unfairly  charged  on  the  Regula- 
tion. Governor  Proclaims  the  Regulation  an  Insurrection  ;  Ninian  Bell 
Hamilton.  The  Regulators  in  Arms,  August  11th,  1768.  The  Governor's 
Justice,  his  Proclamation.  The  persons  excepted.  Report  of  Maurice 
Moore,  1776.  Extract  from  Records  of  Court  in  Hillsborough.  Acts  of 
Personal  violence  ;  a  Mock  Trial.  Four  New  Counties  made.  The  Go- 
vernor's Circular,  1771.  General  Waddel  goes  to  Salisbury.  The  Black 
Boys.  Waddel  retires  before  the  Regulators.  Orders.  Certificate.  Go- 
vernor crosses  the  Haw,  May  13th,  approaches  the  Regulators  ;  Negotia- 
tion. The  Governor  kills  Robert  Thompson.  The  Flag  of  Truce  fired 
on.  The  Governor  commands  his  men  to  fire.  Regulators  Routed. 
Governor  hangs  James  Few.  Case  of  Captain  Messer.  Governor  leads 
his  prisoners  in  chains.  Execution  of  six  prisoners  near  Hillsborough. 
Tryon  returns  to  Newbern.  Fanning's  Flight.  Husband's  Flight.  In- 
quiry into  the  origin  of  the  men  engaged  in  the  Regulation 46 

CHAPTER  III. 

A  PAPER  ON  CIVIL  AND  RELIGIOUS  LIBERTY,  IN   1775 

Widow  Brevard  ;  her  son  Alexander.  Judge  Brevard.  Her  son  Ephraim  ; 
his  Education  ;  the  part  he  took  in  the  Convention  in  Mecklenburg  ;  the 
Circumstances  of  his  Death.  Death  of  Mrs.  Jackson.  Instructions  for 
the  Delegates  of  Mecklenburg  County.  The  Principles  of  Civil 
and  Religious  Liberty 6S 

CHAPTER  IV. 

COMMENCEMENT  OF  PRESBYTERIAN  SETTLEMENTS  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  Emigrants  previous  to  about  1736,  from  Virginia,  Colonies  of  Huguenots 
and  Palatines.  Quakers  or  Friends.  The  Presbyterians  in  Duplin,  and 
in  Frederick,  Augusta,  and  Virginia.  Settlements  on  the  Eno.  West- 
ern Counties  set  off.  Encouragement  to  Emigrate.  Lord  Granville's  por- 
tion of  Carolina  set  off.  The  Scotch  on  Cape  Fear.  Congregations  and 
Churches  in  the  Upper  Country.  Origin  of  the  people  worthy  of  notice. 
Influence  of  Religious  Ptinciple 77 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  Xvii 

CHAPTER  V. 

ORIGIN   OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH. 

To  be  found  in  Ireland  under  Elizabeth  and  James.  Reformation  in  Eng- 
land partly  Voluntary ;  in  Ireland  Involuntary.  King's  Supremacy  ac- 
knowledged, 1536.  The  Bible  in  Ireland,  1556.  Conspiracy  of  Tyrconnel 
and  Tyrone,  1605,  and  Ulster  forfeited  to  the  Crown.  The  Province  sur- 
veyed by  Chichester  and  allotted  to  three  kinds  of  occupants.  Lands  gen- 
erally occupied,  1610.  Stewart's  account  of  the  Emigrants  to  Ireland. 
Con  O'Neill  loses  part  of  his  Estate.  Emigrants  under  Montgomery. 
Situation  of  the  County  in  161S.    The  name  Scotch-Irish  ;  their  character.       84 


CHAPTER  VI. 

•STATE  OF  RELIGION  IN  IRELAND  FROM  THE  TIME    OF    THE    EMIGRATION    FROM 
SCOTLAND  TO  THE  FIRST  EFFORT  TO  EMIGRATE  TO  AMERICA,  1631. 

The  Emigrants  from  Scotland.  Stewart's  character  of  them.  The  opinion 
in  Scotland  about  the  Emigration.  Christian  Ministers  go  over  to  Ireland 
to  the  Emigrants: — 1st,  Edward  Brice  ;  2d,  John  Ridge;  3d,  M.  Hub- 
bard; 4th,  James  Glendenning ;  5th,  Robert  Cunningham;  6th,  Robert 
Blair;  7th,  James  Hamilton.  The  Success  of  these  Ministers.  Com- 
mencement of  the  Great  Revival.  Stewart's  account  of  it.  The  Month- 
ly Meeting  at  Antrim.  Stewart's  and  Blair's  account  of  it.  More 
Ministers  pass  over  to  Ireland.  The  Sth,  Josias  Welch ;  9th,  Andrew 
Stewart;  10th,  George  Dunbar;  Andrew  Brown,  the  Deaf  Mute;  11th, 
Henry  Colwort ;  12th,  John  Livingston,  of  Kirks,  ofShott's  Memory ;  13th, 
John  McClelland;  14th,  John  Semple.  Monthly  Meeting  at  Antrim  im- 
proved.    Bodily  Exercises  no  mark  of  Religion 91 


CHAPTER  VII. 

THE    EAGLE     WING,    OR    FIRST    ATTEMPT    AT    EMIGRATION    FROM    IRELAND    TO 

AMERICA. 

Cause  of  the  attempt  at  Emigration.  Four  Ministers  forbid  the  Ministry. 
Delegates  appointed  to  New  England.  Cotton  Mather's  notice  of  the  mat- 
ter. The  Eagle  Wing  sails,  1636,  with  a  band  of  Emigrants.  Livingston's 
account  of  the  Voyage.  Child  Baptized  at  sea.  Vessel  driven  back  to 
Ireland.  The  reception  of  the  Emigrants.  The  Ministers  return  to  Scot- 
land in  ]637;  their  flocks  go  over  to  receive  the  Sacraments.  The  Influ- 
ence of  these  men  on  Ireland  and  the  World 102 


Xviil  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND. 

First  Meeting  of  a  Presbytery  in  Ireland,  1642.  Steps  Preparatory.  Con- 
vocation of  the  Irish  Clergy  appointed  Usher  to  draw  up  a  Confession  of 
Faith.  Its  character.  Heylin's  account  of  the  Church  in  Usher's  time. 
Blair  and  Livingston's  course  respecting  Ordination.  Laymen  conduct 
public  worship  after  the  Clergy  retire  to  Scotland.  The  Scottish  army- 
introduced  to  crush  Rebellion,  1641.  Massacre  of  Protestants.  Six  Chap- 
lains accompany  the  Scotch  regiments;  also  Mr.  Livingston.  Regular 
Presbyterian  Churches  formed  in  the  Regiments.  The  Presbytery  Con- 
stituted. Sessions  formed  in  the  country  around.  The  people  petition  the 
General  Assembly  of  Scotland  for  Supplies.  Six  Ministers  sent  to  regu- 
late the  Churches.  The  Congregation  take  possession  of  some  of  the  va- 
cant Parish  Churches.  Some  persons  Episcopally  ordained,  join  the  Pres- 
bytery. Solemn  League  and  Covenant  adopted  in  Scotland,  1643,  and  in 
many  parts  of  Ireland,  1644.  Its  effect.  Number  of  Presbyterian  Minis- 
ters in  Ireland  from  1647  to  1657.  The  first  Presbytery^divided  into  five 
Presbyteries.  Number  of  Ministers  in  1660  and  in  1689.  The  Presbyte- 
ry of  Lagan  license  the  first  Presbyterian  Minister  settled  in  the  United 
States  ;  Francis  Makemie 109 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE  POLITICAL  SENTIMENTS  OF  THE  SCOTCH-IRISH  EMIGRANTS. 

They  were  Loyal.  Reasons  for  their  ancestors  being  chosen  to  colonise  Ire- 
land. Their  views  of  the  authority  of  Parliament  after  the  King's  Death. 
How  the  Magistrates  are  to  be  chosen.  2d.  They  insisted  on  choosing 
their  own  Ministers  of  Religion ;  this  the  source  of  all  their  trouble  ;  Re- 
publicans in  their  nations.  3d.  They  demanded  ordination  by  Presbyters 
instead  of  Bishops.  4th.  Strict  discipline  in  morals  and  in  the  instruc- 
tion of  Youth.  Their  views  of  Education.  Connection  of  their  Religion 
\J       with  their  politics.     Their  agreement  in  fundamentals ;  and  disagreement 

in  smaller  matters 120 

CHAPTER  X. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  THE  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR,  AND  THE  REVE- 
REND JAMES  CAMPBELL. 

Some  families  Settled  as  early  as  1729.     The  Clark  family  as  early  as  1730, 
from  the  Hebrides.      Charles  Edward,  the  Pretender,  appears,  lands  in 


TABLE     OF     CONTENTS.  XIX 

Scotland.  The  heads  of  the  great  Clans  against  his  plans  ;  joined  by  the 
young  men.  Is  for  a  time  successful.  Is  ruined  at  Culloden.  Executions  * 
follow  his  defeat ;  the  country  laid  waste  ;  but  the  Prince  escapes.  An- 
ecdote of  a  Scotch  gentleman.  Anecdote  of  Kennedy.  The  Rebels  con- 
demned ;  17  suffer,  the  rest  exiled,  go  to  Cape  Fear;  causes  of  settling 
there.  The  Religion  of  the  Scotch.  No  Minister  came  with  the  first 
Emigrants.  The  Rev.  James  Campbell ;  birth-place  ;  emigrates  to  Ame- 
rica ;  gives  over  Preaching.  By  means  of  Whitefield  resumes  his  Minis- 
try. Emigrates  to  Cape  Fear.  His  extensive  labors ;  his  regular  preach- 
ing places.  Bluff  and  its  Elders.  Barbacue  and  its  Elders.  Use  of  the 
Gaelic  Language.     The  Rev.  John  McLeod 125 


CHAPTER  XI. 

THE  POLITICAL  OPINIONS  OF  THE  SCOTCH  EMIGRANTS. 

The  Scotch  not  Radicals  ;  desired  a  Government  of  Law.  The  Bible  their 
guide.  Revolution.  Natural  right  in  given  cases.  Their  National  Cov- 
enants ;  their  object.  Hetherington's  view  of  the  Covenants.  Rutherford's 
Lex  Rex.  Charles  2d  and  James  1st,  swore  to  the  Covenants  ;  the  Oath. 
Division  of  sentiment  about  the  Revolution.  The  Association  in  Cum- 
berland, drawn  by  Robert  Rowan,  1775.  Governor  Martin  commissions 
Donald  M'Donald  as  Brigadier.  He  erects  the  Royal  Standard,  Feb.,  1776. 
The  Camp  at  Campbellton,  or  Cross  Creeks.  Col.  Moore  marches  against 
him  M'Donald  sends  an  Embassy.  Moves  down  to  Moore's  Creek. 
Makes  an  attack  on  Caswell  and  Livingston,  and  is  defeated.  The  action 
of  the  Provincial  Congress  respecting  the  Prisoners 137 


V 


CHAPTER  XII. 


FLORA    M  DONALD. 


Her  first  appearance  in  the  Trials  of  the  Pretender.  Roderick  Makenzie. 
The  Prince  lands  on  South  Uist ;  is  followed  by  three  thousand  armed 
men.  Plans  for  his  escape  in  disguise.  Appeal  to  Flora  M'Donald ;  she 
accepts  the  offer.  O'Neill  joins.  Interview  with  the  Prince.  A  Pass- 
port procured  for  the  Prince  disguised  as  a  servant.  The  danger  of  disco- 
very. They  set  sail.  A  tempest.  Land  at  Kilbride.  New  dangers  from 
Soldiers;  escape.  The  Prince's  farewell.  His  escape  from  Scotland. 
Flora  M'Donald  seized  and  conveyed  to  London.  The  companions  of  her 
confinement.  The  nobility  become  interested  in  her  favor.  Prince  Frede- 
rick procures  her  release.  She  is  introduced  at  Court,  loaded  with  pre- 
sents and  sent  home.  Marries  Allen  M'Donald  and  emigrates  to  North 
Carolina.     Her   stay  at  Cross  Creeks,  at  Cameron's  Hill,  and  in  Anson 


XX  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

County  ;  joins  the  Royal  Standard  at  Cross  Creeks.     After  her  husband's 
'  release  they  return  to  Scotland.     Attacked  by  a  Privateer  on  the  Voyage  ; 
her  heroism.     Her  family ;  [the  close  of  her  life  ;  her  burial-place.  .     .     .     14S 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HUGH  M'ADEN  AND  THE  CHURCHES  IN  DUPLIN,  NEW  HANOVER  AND  CASWELL. 

The  first  Presbyterian  Minister  that  visited  North  Carolina.  Missionaries 
sent  by  the  Synod.  The  oldest  Presbyterian  Congregation  in  the  State  in 
Duplin.  The  Welsh  Tract.  Their  position  on  the  Map.  M'Aden's  pa- 
rentage, &c.  M'Aden's  Journal.  The  earliest  Missionary  Journal  in 
Carolina  that  has  been  preserved.  Passes  through  Berkeley  and  Frederick 
Counties  in  Virginia.  Stops  at  Opecquon.  Stays  some  time  in  Augusta. 
Visits  John  Brown  of  Providence.  Keeps  a  day  of  Fasting  on  Timber 
Ridge.  At  Forks  of  James  River  receives  news  of  Braddock's  Defeat. 
Crosses  the  mountain  and  goes  to  Mr.  Henry's  Congregation.  Enters 
North  Carolina.  Commences  his  Mission  proper.  Visits  Eno  and  Tar 
River.  Returns  to  Eno.  Goes  to  the  Hawfield,  to  the  Buffalo  Settlement. 
Goes  to  the  Yadkin.  Crosses  Yadkin  and  passes  slowly  on  to  Sugar 
Creek.  Sets  off  for  South  Carolina.  Lodges  out  for  the  first  time.  Des- 
titution in  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina.  Retraces  his  steps  to  the 
Yadkin,  and  then  turns  down  the  country  towards  the  Cape  Fear.  Visits 
the  Scotch  settlements.  Goes  to  Wilmington.  Goes  to  the  Welsh  Tract, 
and  is  detained  by  their  entreaties.  Visits  Goshen.  Calls  made  out  for 
him  from  Goshen  and  the  Welsh  Tract.  Sets  out  for  home.  Meets  Go- 
vernor Dobbs.  Crosses  Pamtico.  Goes  to  the  Red  Banks.  Stops  at  Fish- 
ing Creek.  Goes  to  Nutbush  Revisits  Hico,  Hawfields  and  the  Eno. 
Journal  ends  abruptly  and  leaves  him  at  McMessaer  on  James  River. 
M'Aden's  labors  as  Pastor  in  North  Carolina.  His  residence  in  Duplin . 
Removes  to  Caswell.  Extract  from  letter  from  Dr.  M'Aden.  House 
plundered  by  the  British  Army.  Place  of  Burial.  Churches  in  Duplin 
and  New  Hanover  after  his  removal.  Rev.  Messrs.  Dr.  Robinson,  Mr. 
Stanford,  Mr.  Hatch,  Mr.  Mclver.  Mr.  James  Tate  ;  his  visits  up  Black 
River ;  his  character.  William  Bingham.  Colin  Lindsey ;  difficulties  ; 
removes;  suspended;  his  wife.  Rev.  Robert  Tate.  M'Aden's  places  of 
Preaching  while  residing  in  Caswell.  Formation  of  Upper,  Middle,  and 
Lower  Hico.  Bethany  or  Rattlesnake.  A  Preaching  place  in  Pittsylva- 
nia.    The  Bell  family 158 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

CHURCH  OF  SUGAR  CREEK.  :  ITS  FIRST  MINISTER,  ALEXANDER  CRAIGHEAD. 

The  third  Minister  in  Carolina.     His  ancestry.     Rev.  Thomas  Craighead. 


TABLE    OP    CONTENTS.  XXI 

First  Ecciesiastical  notice  of  Alexander  Craighead,  in  connexion  with  Mr. 
John  Paul.  They  adopt  the  Confession.  Mr.  Craighead's  manner  of 
preaching.  Gets  into  difficulties  with  his  brethren.  Defends  himself. 
Case  carried  up  to  Synod.  He  withdraws  with  the  New  Brunswick  Pres- 
bytery. Removes  to  Virginia.  A  Member  of  Hanover  Presbytery.  Flies 
from  Virginia  and  is  settled  in  Carolina.  Here  ends  his  days,  1776.  His 
love  of  Liberty.  His  Pamphlet.  His  situation  in  Mecklenburg.  Sows 
the  Seeds  of  the  Mecklenburg  Declaration.  The  Settlement  of 
this  Upper  country.  The  two  tides  of  Emigration.  The  line  of  settle- 
ment. Location  of  Sugar  Creek  Meeting  House.  The  Parent  of  the 
Seven  Congregations.  The  Prairies.  Extent  of  the  Congregations. 
The  bounds  of  the  Seven  settled  in  1764.  A  visit  to  the  old  grave-yard. 
Craighead's  Grave.  His  Family.  Joseph,  Alexander.  Grave-yard  at 
the  Brick  Church  S.  C.  Caldwell ;  his  Services,  Character  and  Manner. 
The  Alexanders.  Their  Emigration.  Lord  Stirling.  Mrs.  Jackson  and 
her  son.     Buford's  Defeat.     Mrs.  Flinn.     Neighboring  Localities.  .     .     .     183 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HOPEWELL  AND  THE  RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 

Situation  of  Hopewell.  Capt.  Bradley.  General  Davidson.  John  M'Knitt 
Alexander.  Settlement  of  the  Country.  Anecdote  of  Alexander  and  Dr. 
Flinn.  State  of  Society.  The  papers  of  the  Convention.  Judge  Came- 
ron's Statement.  Reasons  for  the  temporary  obscurity  of  the  Convention. 
The  Convention  called  in  question.  Dr.  Alexander  vindicates  it.  Testi- 
mony of  different  persons  ;  Dr.  Hunter,  General  Graham,  and  Major  David- 
son, and  Dr.  Cummins,  and  Mr.  Jack,  and  Col.  Polk,  of  Raleigh.  Obitu- 
ary of  Dr.  H.  M'Knitt  Alexander.  Rules  of  Union  between  the  Churches 
of  Hopewell  and  Sugar  Creek  in  1793 200 

CHAPTER  XVI. 

THE  REV.  HENRY  PATTILLO  AND  THE  CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND   GRANVILLE 

Mr.  Davies  becomes  acquainted  with  Pattillo.  Mr.  Pattillo  goes  to  reside 
with  him.  His  reasons  for  commencing  a  journal.  Extracts  from  it ;  his 
birth ;  becomes  a  merchant's  [clerk  ;  removes  to  Virginia ;  commences 
teaching  school;  his  religious  convictions;  oral  meditations;  an  error; 
his  desire  to  preach  the  Gospel ;  his  Licensure  ;  how  sustained  while 
preparing  for  the  Ministry  ;  his  house  struck  with  lightning.  Extracts 
from  Records  of  Hanover  Presbytery.  Goes  to  Hawfields,  N.  C,  1765. 
Removes  to  Granville,  1774.  Member  of  Provincial  Congress,  1775.  Ex- 
tracts from  the  records  of  Provincial  Congress.  The  Churches  in  Gran- 
ville.    First   Sacrament.     Anecdote  of  Tennant.     Extract  from  a  Will 

2 


XX11  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

made  1782.  Act  of  the  Congregations.  Mr.  Pattillo's  marriage  ;  his  Col- 
lege Degree ;  his  writings  and  publications  ;  his  death.  Extract  from  Mr. 
Lacey's  funeral  sermon.  Extract  from  a  letter  respecting  his  death.  His 
successors,  John  Matthews,  M.  Currie  and  S.  L.  Graham.  Origin  of  Con- 
gregations of  Hawfields  and  Eno.  Visits  of  Missionaries;  M' Aden's  visit 
in  1755  and  '56  ;  Mr.  Debou,  William  Hodges,  William  Paisley.  First 
Camp  Meetings  in  the  Southern  States.  Mr.  E.  B.  Currie,  Sam- 
uel Paisley ;  other  supplies.  Death  of  John  Paisley.  The  Regulators 
not  ignorant  people 213 

CHAPTER  XVII. 

DAVID  CALDWELL,  D.D.,  AND  THE  CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE. 

Unusual  time  of  Ministerial  services.  Birth  and  parentage  of  Dr.  Caldwell. 
His  admission  to  the  Church.  Takes  his  degree  in  College  at  the  age  of 
thirty-six.  Prepares  for  the  ministry.  His  frankness  and  persever- 
ance. Extract  from  minutes  of  Synod  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey. 
The  Congregation  of  Buffalo.  Caldwell  visits  Carolina.  Alamance 
organized.  Mr.  Caldwell's  commission  as  Missionary.  Is  ordained 
July,  1765  ;  installed,  1768;  married,  1766;  opens  a  Classical  School; 
his  success  in  educating  youth.  Mrs.  Caldwell's  influence.  Revivals  in 
his  school.  He  practises  Medicine.  Is  a  close  student.  Orange  Presby- 
tery formed.  The  character  of  the  Regulators.  Mr.  Caldwell's  inter- 
course with  them.  His  sufferings  in  the  war.  His  labors  and  influence 
after  the  Revolution.  Section  of  the  Constitution.  Harmonizes  with 
Dr.  Brevard  in  his  paper  of  1775.  Public  favor  seeks  him.  Appointment 
of  Clerk  of  a  Court.  His  sermon  during  the  last  war  with  England.  De- 
gree of  D.D.  conferred  on  him  by  the  University  of  N.  C.  His  death. 
Death  of  Mrs.  Caldwell.  Their  Burial-place.  Dilly  Paine,  or  the  Tra- 
dition about  Mrs.  Paisley 231 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

NEW  PROVIDENCE  AND  ITS  MINISTERS. 

Situation  of  New  Providence.  Few  manuscripts  left.  Wallis'  grave.  First 
Minister  of  Providence.  His  nephew.  W.  R.  Davie,  Major  and  Colonel. 
Rev.  Robert  Henry.  Articles  of  agreement  with  Clear  Creek.  Thomas 
Reese.  The  sufferings  of  the  Congregation.  James  Wallis'  birth  and 
education.  His  contest  with  Infidelity.  The  character  of  the  Revolu- 
tionary soldiers  in  Mecklenburg  and  Upper  Carolina.  Anecdote  of  old 
Mr.  Alexander.  The  discussion  about  the  Bible.  An  Infidel  Debating 
Society.  Cause  of  dissatisfaction  about  Psalmody;  a  division  follows. 
Great  Camp  Meeting.  He  teaches  a  Classical  School  Is  made  Trustee 
of  the  University.     Sharon  set  off  as  a  Church.         244 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  xxiii 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


MAJOR-GENERAL  JOSEPH  GRAHAM. 


His  place  of  residence.  His  employment.  His  habits  of  intercourse.  His 
origin.  Time  and  place  of  his  birth.  His  education.  Enters  the  army, 
1778.  In  various  expeditions.  Taken  with  a  fever.  At  work  in  the 
field  when  the  news  of  the  enemy's  approach  reached  him.  Takes  the 
field  as  Adjutant.  The  attack  on  Charlotte.  The  enemy  three  times  re- 
pulsed. The  Carolina  forces  retreat.  Locke  killed.  Graham  left  for 
dead.  Revives  and  is  conveyed  away.  Taken  to  the  Hospital.  After  his 
recovery  raises  a  company  of  fifty-five  men  at  his  own  expense,  Dec,  1780. 
Battle  of  Cowpens,  Jan.  17S1.  Posted  at  Cowan's  Ford.  Davidson  killed. 
Graham  follows  the  enemy.  Surprises  Hart's  Mill.  At  the  surprise  of 
Col.  Pyles.  The  time  of  enlistment  expiring,  his  men  return  home.  Ru- 
therford raises  a  force  and  Graham  becomes  Major.  Marches  to  Wil- 
mington. His  last  engagement.  Sheriff.  Member  of  Assembly.  Mar-  ■ 
ries.  Removes  to  Lincoln  county.  Appointed  General.  Marches  against  ' 
the  Indians.  Basis  of  his  political  creed.  Extract  from  Judge  Murphy's 
Oration.  His  religious  creed.  His  moral  and  religious  character  and  in- 
tercourse with  men.     Death  and  burial.     His  Portrait 251 


CHAPTER  XX. 

BATTLE  OF  KING'S  MOUNTAIN. 

By  whom  drawn  up.  Situation  of  the  country  after  Gates's  defeat,  17S0. 
Cornwallis  sends  out  Col.  Ferguson.  His  march.  The  increase  of  his 
force.  Their  arms.  His  threats  to  the  Mountain  Men  (Tennesseeans  and 
Kentuckians).  McDowell,  and  Sevier,  and  Shelby,  in  consultation.  Raise 
forces.  The  number  in  camp  at  place  of  rendezvous.  Ferguson  retreats 
and  sends  a  dispatch  to  Cornwallis.  His  march  to  King's  mountain.  The 
Colonels  send  for  a  General  Officer.  In  the  meantime  Col.  Campbell 
commands.  Col.  Williams  of  South  Carolina  joins  them  on  their  march. 
Approach  Ferguson's  Camp.  Plan  of  Battle.  Come  in  sight  of  the  ene- 
my. Position  of  the  enemy's  camp.  Order  of  the  troops.  The  battle  be- 
gins. Ferguson  charges  and  is  driven  back ;  second  and  third  charge. 
Fire  all  round  the  mountain.  Ferguson  charges  repeatedly  and  is  driven 
back ;  is  wounded ;  is  killed.  Bearer  of  the  flag  shot  down ;  another  is 
raised.  They  throw  down  their  arms.  The  killed  and  wounded.  The 
court-martial.  Executions.  Monument  to  Major  Chronicle  and  others. 
Col.  Williams.  Colonels  M'Dowell,  Hambrite,  Sevier  and  Cleveland. 
CoL  Campbell,  of  Virginia ;  his  burial  place.  Anecdote  of  Col.  Ferguson. 
Anecdote  of  Campbell.     Anecdote  of  Preston 264 


XXIV  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

THE  BATTLE  AT  GUILFORD  COURT-HOUSE. 

Plan  of  the  battle.  Circumstances  of  the  pursuit.  Its  end.  Burning  of 
M' Aden's  library.  The  preludes  of  the  battle.  Col.  Webster's  escape, 
Cornwallis  in  Buffalo  Congregation ;  in  Alamance  ;  at  Dr.  Caldwell's.  The 
sufferings  of  the  family.  The  burning  of  his  library.  The  commence- 
ment of  the  battle.  The  battle-ground.  The  situation  of  Greene's  army. 
Extract  of  a  letter  showing  the  effects  of  the  first  fire.  Extract  from  a 
soldier's  diary.     Death  of  Col.  Webster.     The  militia.  ...  ...     272 


CHAPTER  XXII. 

MINUTES   OF   THE    SYNOD    OF    THE    CAROLINAS    FROM  1788    TO  1801,  INCLUSIVE, 
WITH  A  ROLL  OF  THE  MEMBERS. 

Formation  of  the  Synod.  The  Presbyteries  and  their  members.  The  first 
meeting  in  Centre  Rowan.  An  overture  respecting  the  Catechism.  Sec- 
ond meeting.  The  report  respecting  the  Catechism  taken  up  again.  Over- 
ture on  horse-racing,  card-playing,  dancing  and  revelling.  Overture  on  at- 
tending on  divine  worship.  Ordered  that  the  overtures  and  answers 
be  read  in  all  the  churches.  Marriage  with  wife's  sister's  daughter 
condemned.  Third  Meeting.  Overtures  for  printing  part  of  Dr.  Dod- 
dridge's works.  Day  of  Thanksgiving.  Fourth  Meeting.  Preparation? 
made  for  printing  Dr.  Doddridge's  work  on  Regeneration,  and  his  Rise 
and  Progress.  Decision  respecting  Psalmody.  Question  respecting  Uni- 
versalists  sent  up  to  the  Assembly.  Question  respecting  admitting  Mem- 
bers, are  they  to  assent  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  ?  &c.  Commission  of 
Synod  appointed.  Steps  taken  to  collect  materials  for  history  of  the  Pres- 
byterian Church.  Domestic  Missions  commenced  in  earnest.  Four  Mis- 
sionaries appointed.  Statistical  reports  from  the  Presbyteries  of  Orange 
and  South  Carolina.  Fifth  Meeting.  Decision  of  the  General  Assembly 
on  the  question  sent  up  the  last  meeting  respecting  admitting  Univer- 
salists  to  communion,  in  the  negative.  Printing  of  Doddridge's  work.  Re- 
port from  the  Commission  of  Synod  on  Missionary  operations.  A  peculiar 
instruction  to  the  missionaries.  Their  report  on  judicial  business.  Synod 
approved  their  doings.  Sixth  Meeting.  Erring  members  to  be  speedily  called 
upon.  Letter  from  the  Rev  Henry  Pattillo  ;  his  request  that  it  be  admitted 
to  record.  Propose  to  send  out  laymen  rather  than  seize  upon  foreigners. 
Report  concerning  Doddridge's  works.  Commission  of  Synod  report  con- 
cerning the  Missionaries.  Seventh  Meeting.  Synod  direct  the  Presby- 
tery of  Orange  to  decide  on  the  case  of  Mr.  Archibald ;  which  they  forth- 
with did,  and  he  was  suspended.     Directions  respecting  materials  for  his- 


TABLE    OF     CONTENTS.  XXV 

tory  of  the  Church.  Commission  of  Synod  report  respecting  the  Mission- 
aries ;  full  report.  Mutual  reports  from  Ministers  and  Sessions  to  Presby- 
teries. Eighth  Meeting.  Direct  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  to  ordain  Mr. 
McGee  sine  titulo.  Presbytery  of  Orange  divided  and  Concord  consti- 
tuted. Report  to  Synod  respecting  the  printing  of  Doddridge's  works. 
Day  of  fasting  appointed.  Ninth  Meeting.  Failure  of  printing  Dod- 
dridge's work.  Hopewell  Presbytery  set  off.  Question  respecting  the  evi- 
dence of  baptized  slaves.  Injunction  to  give  slaves  religious  instructions. 
Attention  of  Synod  taken  up  by  the  difficulties  in  Abingdon  Presbytery ; 
a  new  Presbytery  constituted  there.  Mr.  Gilleland's  memorial  about  his 
course  respecting  slavery.  Synod  agree  with  his  Presbytery.  Tenth 
Meeting.  A  Commission  of  Synod  appointed  ;  suspend  the  Independent 
•Presbytery.  Minutes  of  the  Commission  of  Synod.  Its  members  ;  14 
ministers  and  12  elders.  The  Commission  restore  the  suspended  mem- 
bers. Charges  against  Hezekiah  Balch.  1st  charge  ;  of  this  he  was 
cleared.  2d  charge  ;  false  doctrines.  This  referred  to  the  General  As- 
sembly ;  a  curious  statement.  3d  charge  ;  in  part  sustained.  4th  charge  ; 
on  this  he  was  condemned  by  the  Commission  as  irregular.  Abingdon 
Presbytery  divided,  and  Union  Presbytery  set  off.  Overture  on  promis- 
cuous communion.  Eleventh  Meeting.  Suspension  removed  from  Mr. 
Crawford.  Charges  against  Mr.  Balch  read.  Mr.  Balch  brings  charges 
against  the  old  session.  Extraordinary  Session,  1799.  Thirty  folio  pages 
of  evidence  produced  and  read.  3d  and  4th  charges  against  Mr,  Balch 
not  sustained.  On  the  5th  charge  the  Synod  decided  against  Mr.  Balch. 
The  two  other  charges  not  sustained.  Synod  suspend  Mr.  Balch  and  four 
elders.  The  matter  settled.  Tivelfth  Meeting,  1799.  Overture  on  the 
subject  of  marriage  in  the  forbidden  degree.  Mr.  Bowman's  case  taken 
up.  Reports  from  four  of  the  Presbyteries.  South  Carolina  Presbytery 
divided.  Thirteenth  Meeting.  Two  independent  Ministers  invited  to  a 
seat.  Overture  respecting  a  petition  to  the  Legislature  on  Abolition  dis- 
missed. The  Missionary  business.  Two  Missionaries  sent  to  the  Natches. 
Will  a  private  acknowledgment  of  wrong  be  taken  for  a  public  confes- 
sion? Negative.  Mr.  Balch  complains  of  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon. 
Greenville  Presbytery  set  off.  Complaint  about  Mr.  Witherspoon.  Four- 
teenth Meeting.  Reports  from  the  Missionaries  to  the  Natches.  Case  of 
incestuous  marriage.  Mr.  Balch's  complaints  taken  up.  Mr.  Wither- 
spoon's  case  decided.  Synod's  solemn  recommendations.  Synod  ordered 
the  subject  of  Missions  to  be  laid  before  the  Congregations,  and  collections 
to  be  taken  up.  Case  of  Green  Spring  and  Sinking  Spring.  Missionaries 
to  Mississippi  Territory 281 

CHAPTER  XXni. 

EMIGRATION    TO   TENNESSEE. 

Tennessee  settled  early  from  Carolina.     Meaning  of  Mountain  Men,  &c. 


XXVI  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

Emigration  from  other  States.  The  first  Minister  in  Tennessee.  The 
Rev.  Samuel  Doak.  Martin  Academy.  Washington  College.  His  early 
life  and  [his  usefulness.  Rev.  Samuel  Houston.  Rev.  Messrs.  Hezekiah 
Balch  and  Samuel  Carrick.  Mr.  Craighead.  Abingdon  Presbytery.  Trus- 
tees of  Washington  College,  of  Blount  College,  and  of  Greenville  College.     308 


4 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

JAMES  HALL,  D.D.,  AND  THE  CHURCHES  IN  IREDELL. 


Clergymen  in  the  army  ;  some  gave  up  their  ministry.  James  Hall  served 
as  a  soldier  and  continued  a  preacher.  Birth-place.  Place  of  Emigration. 
Names  of  families  emigrating.  Minute  of  Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  1753. 
Minute  in  1754.  Minute  in  1757.  Minute  of  Synod  of  New  York  in 
1755.  Minute  from  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia.  Efforts 
for  Ministers.  Salary  promised  ;  eighty  pounds  for  half  the  time.  Hall's 
early  instruction.  The  coming  of  a  Missionary.  Minute  for  1764  by  Synod. 
Mr.  Hall  unites  with  the  church.  His  early  habits  and  desires  as  a 
Christian.  Devotes  himself  to  the  Ministry.  A  perplexing  incident  the 
cause  of  his  remaining  single  through  life.  His  age  when  he  commences 
the  Classics.  His  taste  for  Mathematics.  Is  graduated  at  Princeton. 
Dr.  Witherspoon's  opinion  of  him.  Licensed  to  preach  the  Gospel.  Min- 
isters in  Carolina  at  that  time.  Mr.  Hall  installed  Pastor.  His  Elders. 
Espouses  cause  of  the  Revolution.  Raises  a  company  of  cavalry  to 
go  to  South  Carolina.  An  incident  reconnoitreing.  Raises  a  second  com- 
pany. A  third  company  raised  and  Mr.  Hall  goes  with  them.  A  novel 
scene  in  preaching.  His  qualificatious  as  a  commander.  General  Greene 
proposes  him  for  General  to  fill  the  place  of  Davidson.  A  revival  of  Re- 
ligion in  his  charge.  His  first  attendance  on  the  Synod.  Commences 
his  Missionary  excursions.  A  pioneer  to  the  Natches.  His  reports  of 
his  Missions.  His  attendance  on  the  General  Assembly.  His  journeys  to 
the  Assembly.  An  incident.  Trains  men  for  the  Ministry.  Clio's  Nur- 
sery. Opens  an  Academy  of  Science  at  his  own  house.  Prepares  a 
Grammar  for  his  young  people.  A  circulating  library.  List  of  preachers 
educated  by  him.  Favors  the  establishment  of  a  Theological  Seminary. 
Member  of  the  Bible  Society.  Anecdote.  His  boldness  and  independ- 
ence, an  anecdote  of.  His  manner  of  preaching.  His  occasional  melan- 
choly, anecdote  of  it.  His  tenderness  for  the  suffering  of  others  under  it. 
Made  Doctor  of  Divinity  by  Nassau  Hall  and  University  of  N.  C.  His 
death  and  burial 315 

CHAPTER  XXV. 

REV.  LEWIS  FEUILLETEAU  WILSON. 

The  successor  of  Dr.  Hall  in  his  charge  of  Concord  and  Fourth  Creek. 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  XXVil 

Origin  and  birth.  Is  sent  to  England.  Emigrates  to  New  Jersey  and  enters 
College.  Revival  in  Princeton  College  in  1772.  His  religious  experi- 
ence. Great  opposition.  Anecdote.  Becomes  convicted,  hopefully  con- 
verted. His  succeeding  course.  His  view  of  College  Honors.  Visits 
England.  Wishes  to  enter  the  Ministry.  His  Father's  wishes.  His 
Father  offended  and  disinherits  him.  He  returns  to  America.  Commen- 
ces Theological  reading  with  Dr.  Witherspoon.  His  perplexity  of  mind. 
Commences  the  study  of  Medicine.  Enters  the  Army.  His  father's 
death.  A  Legacy.  Settles  in  Princeton.  His  deportment  in  the  Army. 
Mr.  Hall  persuades  him  to  remove  to  Iredell,  N.  C.  His  marriage.  De- 
sires to  enter  the  Ministry.  The  people  also  desire  it.  Licensed  by 
Orange  Presbytery  in  1791.  Becomes  Pastor  of  Concord  and  Fourth  Creek. 
The  Revival  of  1802.  His  views  of  it.  Leaves  Fourth  Creek.  His 
successors  there.  His  death.  His  character  by  John  M.  Wilson  of  Rocky 
River.     His  manner  of  preaching.     His  dying  exercises 337 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

THYATIRA  AND  HER  MINISTERS. 

Settlement  of  Thyatira.  McAden's  course  through  the  settlement,  1755. 
Visit  of  Messrs.  Spencer  and  McWhorter.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle.  Birth- 
place. His  parents  emigrate  to  North  Carolina.  Their  locations.  The 
Father  an  Elder  and  the  Son  Pastor  of  the  Church.  Commences  a  Classi- 
cal course.  Takes  his  degree  at  Nassau  Hall,  1772.  Extracts  from  his 
diary.  His  early  experience.  His  exercises  during  the  Revival  of  1772. 
Extract  from  Boston.  Reads  Hopkins.  Is  deeply  distressed.  Reads 
Smalley.  Mr.  Green's  Sermon.  He  commences  reading  for  the  Ministry. 
Licensed  and  called  to  Thyatira.  His  Marriage.  Anecdote  of  Mrs. 
Steele  and  General  Green.  Obituary  of  Mrs.  Steele.  Her  letter  to  her 
Children  after  her  death.  A  prayer  from  her  pen.  Mr.  McCorkle's  re- 
sidence. Opens  a  Classical  School.  A  Teacher's  department.  The  first 
Graduates  of  the  University  of  N.  C.  Is  appointed  a  Professor  in  the 
University.  Declines  the  appointment.  Bounds  of  Thyatira.  Third 
Creek  formed  from  it.  Rev.  J.  D.  Kilpatrick.  His  views  of  the  Revival 
in  1802.  Anecdote  of  him.  Back  Creek  formed.  Salisbury  Church 
formed.  Mr.  McCorkle's  Bible  Classes.  His  Pulpit  preparations.  His 
printed  Sermons.  His  appearance.  Resemblance  to  Mr.  Jefferson.  His 
Pulpit  instructions.  Delegates  to  the  Assembly.  His  views  of  the  Revival 
of  1S02.  Struck  with  Death  in  the  Pulpit.  His  Funeral.  Thomas  Espy. 
His  birth.  His  early  exercises  on  Religion.  Commences  a  Classical 
course.  Unites  with  the  Church,  1S20.  Enters  College.  Goes  to  Vir- 
ginia. Commences  preparations  for  the  Ministry.  Licensure.  Influence 
of  his  example.     A  Missionary  to  Burke,  N.   C.      Is  ordained  Evange- 


XXV111  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

list.     Leaves  Centre  and  goes  to  Salisbury.     Seized  with   a  hemorrhage. 

His  last  sickness.     A  testimony  concerning  him.     His  death 349 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

REV.  JAMES  M'GREADY  AND  THE  REVIVALS  OF  1800. 

His  agency  in  Revivals.  No  memoir  of  him  has  hitherto  appeared.  His 
origin.  Emigration  to  North  Carolina.  Reasons  of  his  education.  His 
early  Religious  views.  A  change  in  them.  Its  influence  on  his  after  life 
and  Preaching.  Licensed  by  Red  Stone  Presbytery.  Returns  to  Caro- 
lina. Religion  suffered  during  the  War.  McGready  attends  a  funeral 
His  appearance.  His  first  Sermons.  His  pulpit  preparations.  His  print- 
ed sermons.  His  manner  of  delivery.  Places  of  preaching.  His  residence. 
Visits  Dr.  Caldwell's  School  with  happy  effect.  Excitement  on  Religion. 
Opposition  on  Stony  Creek.  McGready  and  others  remove  to  the  West. 
Extract  from  McGready's  statement  of  the  condition  of  things  in  Kentucky. 
Commencement  of  the  Revival  in  1800.  The  exercises  of  a  bodily  nature. 
Crowds  attend  meetings  for  days  in  succession.  The  Revival  commences 
in  North  Carolina,  1801,  at  Cross  Roads.  Also  at  Hawfields.  The  first 
Camp  Meeting  in  North  Carolina.  The  Revival  spreads  over  the  State. 
Dr.  Caldwell  appoints  a  meeting  in  Randolph  County.  An  interesting 
pamphlet  printed  in  Philadelphia,  containing  an  account  of  the  Revival. 
A  Clergyman's  account  of  the  exercises  experienced  by  himself.  His 
opinion  of  them.       ....■% 367 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

REV.  HUMPHREY  HUNTER  AND  STEELE  CREEK,  GOSHEN  AND  UNITY. 

Mr.  Hunter  first  a  Soldier  and  then  a  Minister.    Settlement  of  Steele  Creek. 
Names  of  its  Ministers.     Location  of  the  Church.     The  Grave  Yard.      A 
visit  to  it.     The  inscriptions  of  a  Soldier.     Anecdote.      Other  inscriptions 
of  a  different  age.     Monuments   to  little  children.      Poetic   inscriptions. 
[    The  use  of  Psalms  and  Hymns.     Grave  of  two  Brothers.      Monument  of 
J    Rev.  Mr.  Hunter.     Extract  from  Gordon's  History.    Mr.  Hunter's  birth- 
/    place.     Emigrates  to  America  when  a  child.     Grows  up  in  Mecklenburg. 
Attends  the  Convention.    Enlists  as  a  Soldier.     Commences  his  Classical 
course.    Certificate.    A  Lieutenant  against  the  Indians.     Goes  to  Queen's 
Museum.    Certificate.     College  broken  up.     Enters  the  Army.    Is  at  the 
battle  of  Camden.    Witnesses  the  death  of  De  Kalb.    The  circumstances  of 
it.     Prisoners  in  confinement.     Anecdote  of  Hunter.    Escapes  from  con- 
finement.    Joins  the  Army  again.     Resumes  his  studies.     Two  Certifi- 
cates.     Enters    Mount  Zion  College.      His   degree.     His  licensure.     A 
call  with  the  Signatures.    Removes  to  Lincoln.    Settlement  of  Goshen.    Its 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  XXIX 

Location.  Preaches  at  Steele  Creek.  Practises  Medicine.  His  performan- 
ces as  a  Minister.  His  Death.  Notice  of  it.  His  appearance  and  cha- 
racter  414 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CENTRE  CONGREGATION. 

Fall  of  General  Davidson  on  the  Catawba.  His  birth  and  burial.  Bounda- 
ries of  Centre.  The  first  white  child  born  between  the  two  rivers.  Origin 
of  the  inhabitants.  Rev.  Thomas  H.  McCaule.  Classical  school.  Dr. 
McRee  the  Minister  for  about  thirty  years.  His  birth  and  Parentage. 
His  Father's  library.  Custom  to  Catechise.  His  College  course  and  pre- 
paration for  the  Ministry.  Settlement  at  Steele  Creek.  Extract  from  a 
Letter.    Essay  on  Psalmody.    Settles  in  Centre.   Extract  from  a  Letter.     .     432 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


POPLAR  TENT  AND  HER  MINISTERS. 


^ 


Ministers  to  be  disengaged  from  Politics.  Hezekiah  James  Balch  in  the 
Convention.  Minutes  of  Synod  respecting  him.  His  congregations.  His 
Death.  Location  of  Poplar  Tent.  Settlement  and  building  of  the  Meeting 
House.  Mr.  Alexander's  account.  Dr.  Robinson's.  Meaning  of  word 
Tent.  Their  use.  The  name  of  Poplar  Tent.  No  Monument  to  Mr. 
Balch.  Names  of  the  Elders.  Robert  Archibald.  Psalmody.  Anecdote 
of.  Discussion  about.  Poplar  Tent  not  harassed  in  the  War.  Mr.  Archi- 
bald's habits.  Becomes  erroneous  in  his  Creed.  Anecdote  of  him.  Mr. 
Alexander  Caldwell.  John  Robinson.  His  birth-place  and  parentage. 
Excellent  Memory.  His  agency  in  the  present  work.  His  Education. 
His  College  Degree.  His  Licensure.  His  personal  appearance.  Com- 
mences Preaching  in  a  trying  time.  His  first  place  of  Labor.  Removes  to 
Fayetteville.  Removes  to  Poplar  Tent.  Returns  to  Fayetteville.  First 
Communion  in  Fayetteville.  His  manner  of  preaching  there.  The  opinion 
of  his  worth  thirty-two  years  after.  His  kind  feelings.  His  advanced  years. 
Anecdote.  Friend  of  Education.  Anecdote  of  his  Courage.  One  of  his 
Faithfulness.  Meeting  of  Synod  during  his  last  sickness.  His  death  and 
burial 43S 

CHAPTER  XXXI. 

EXTRACTS    FROM    MINUTES    OF    THE    SYNOD   OF    THE    CAROLINAS    FROM    1S02   TO 

1812  INCLUSIVE. 

Fifteenth  Meeting.  •  Missionary  report  from  Matthews  and  Hall.    Acorn- 


XXX  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

mission  of  Synod  appointed.  Grammar  Schools  to  be  erected ;  and 
Youth  licensed  for  the  Ministry.  Overture  about  exhorters.  Petitions 
from  Abingdon.  Stated  Clerk  appointed.  Sixteenth  Meeting.  Mission- 
ary to  Catawbas  appointed.  Overture  respecting  Candidates.  Seven- 
teenth Meeting.  Greenville  Presbytery  dissolved.  Missionaries  sent  to 
Natches.  Overture  respecting  other  denominations.  Other  overtures. 
Eighteenth  Meeting.  Report  of  the  Mission  among  the  Catawbas.  Non- 
attending  Presbyteries  written  to.  Respecting  the  Presbytery  of  Charles- 
ton. JVineteenth  Meeting.  The  Records  transcribed  by  the  new  clerk, 
Mr.  Davies.  Overture  the  Assembly  for  Division.  Overture  respecting 
Ministers  holding  Civil  offices.  Twentieth  Meeting.  A  memorial  re- 
specting William  C.  Davis.  Application  of  the  Presbytery  of  Union  to 
change  their  connexion.  Missionary  operations.  Questions  concerning 
Elders  in  Synod.  Twenty-first  Meeting.  The  Missionary  operations. 
The  Minutes  of  Synod  on  the  Reports.  The  case  of  Mr.  Davis  taken 
up.  Overture  respecting  Qualifications  of  Parents  asking  baptism  for 
Children.  Report  on  the  subject  of  Communing  with  the  Methodists. 
Twenty-second  Meeting.  Missionary  matters.  A  long  and  interesting 
Report  from  Mr.  Hall.  He  prepares  questions  for  the  people.  His  visit 
to  Knobb  Creek.  Case  of  Mr.  Davis  comes  up.  The  charges  against  him. 
His  explanations.  The  decision  of  Presbytery.  Synod5idissatisfied  with  it, 
takes  up  the  case.  Mr.  Davis  appeals  to  the  Assembly.  Synod  remits  the 
case  with  an  overture  on  the  book  published  by  Mr.  Davis  called  the  Gos- 
pel Plan.  Harmony  Presbytery  set  off.  Pastoral  letter  ordered  on  account 
Mr.  Davis's  errors.  Twenty-third  Meeting.  First  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina  dissolved.  Overture  concerning  Lotteries.  Extract  from  Mr. 
Hall's  report  on  Missions.  Ordination  of  Mr.  Caldwell  of  the  University 
sanctioned.  Twenty-fourth  Meeting.  Presbytery  of  Orange  ask  advice 
respecting  Mr.  Davis.  Dr.  Hall  reports  on  his  Missionary  tour.  The 
Synod  resign  their  Missionary  operations  to  the  hands  of  the  Assembly. 
Action  on  the  subject  of  ordination  sine  titulo.  Order  to  circulate  copies 
of  the  Confession  of  Faith.  Twenty-fifth  Meeting.  Report  of  Dr.  Hall 
of  Missionary  labor.  Support  of  the  Missionary  and  contingent  funds  of 
the  Assembly  enjoined.  Presbytery  of  Fayetteville  set  off.  Action  of 
Synod  concerning  Ordinations  sine  titulo 454 

CHAPTER  XXXII. 

REV.  JOHN  MAKEMIE  WILSON,  D.  D.,  AND  THE  CHXJRCH  OF  ROCKY  RIVER. 

His  parentage.  Incident  in  his  early  life.  Enters  the  school  in  Charlotte. 
Completes  his  course  of  study  at  Hampden  Sydney  College.  Devotes 
himself  to  the  Ministry.  Settled  in  Burke  County.  Marries.  Removes 
to  Rocky  river.  The  Settlement  of  Rocky  River.  Origin  of  the  Settlers. 
Some  of  the  names.   They  favor  the  Regulators.   Destruction  of  powder  by 


TABLE    OF    CONTENTS.  XXXI 

the  Black  boys.  Mr.  Archibald  the  Minister.  A  Revival  of  Religion.  Mr. 
Alexander  Caldwell.  Becomes  deranged  and  leaves  them.  Mr.  Wilson 
becomes  their  Pastor.  The  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by  the  people. 
His  Ministerial  habits,  opens  a  Classical  school  and  educates  a  large  number 
of  Ministers  of  the  Gospel.  His  preparation  for  death.  His  burial.  His  son 
a  Missionary  to  Africa.     Dies  there.    Mr.  Wilson's  grave  and  epitaph.     .     476 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

FAYETTEVILLE  AND  HER  MINISTERS.  ^ 

Cross  Creek.  The  name.  Campbelton.  The  public  road  opened.  Name 
changed  to  Fayetteville.  First  stated  Preacher.  Second  Preacher.  Ordi- 
nation of  Elders.  First  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  The  Third 
Preacher  ordained.  Baptism  administered  publicly.  Mr.  Robinson  re- 
turns. Mr.  Turner.  His  labors  and  death.  His  successor.  Church  build- 
ing put  up.  Succession  of  Ministers.  Second  Pastor  removed  by  death. 
Mr.  Douglass.  A  short  Memoir  of  him.  His  spirit.  His  Parentage. 
His  Religious  impressions.  His  temptation  in  New  York.  Preparation 
for  the  Ministry.  Foreign  Mission.  Visits  Mr.  Nettleton.  Habits  of 
piety.  His  labors  as  a  Missionary.  Ordained.  Gathers  a  Church  in  Mur- 
freesborough.  Goes  to  Milton.  Gathers  a  Church  there.  Goes  to  Briery. 
Goes  to  Richmond.  Goes  to  Ireland.  Extract  from  a  letter.  Visits  the 
great  valley  of  the  Mississippi.  Goes  to  Lexington,  Virginia.  Goes  to 
Fayetteville.  His  pastoral  habits.  Fayetteville  Presbytery.  Its  forma- 
tion. Notice  of.  Mr.  McMillan.  Mr.  McNair.  Mr.  Peacock.  Mr. 
Mclntyre.    Mr.  McDougald 489 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

CHARLOTTE    AND    HER    RECOLLECTIONS. 

Extract  from  Tarleton's  History  of  the  Southern  Campaigns.  Charlotte  un 
comfortable  head-quarters  to  Cornwallis.  Extract  from  Tarleton  upon  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  provisions.  The  affair  at  Mclntyre's.  Epitaph  of 
one  of  the  men  engaged  in  this  affair.  Extract  from  Steadman's  History 
of  the  American  war.  The  place  of  encampment  of  the  British  army. 
Evacuation  of  Charlotte.    The  Polk  family.    Thomas  Spratt 504 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

EFFORTS  TO  PROMOTE  EDUCATION. 

Sentiments  of  the  females  in  Carolina  about  education.  The  oldest  Academy. 


XXX11  TABLE    OF    CONTENTS. 

Attempts  to  make  a  College.  A  charter  obtained  and  revoked  by  the 
King.  A  second  time  obtained  and  revoked.  Queen's  Museum  goes  into 
operation,  chartered  as  Liberty  Hall  Academy  by  the  Colonial  Legislature. 
Extract  from  Charter.  Trustees.  First  President.  Laws  drawn  up  by  a 
committee.  Overture  to  Dr.  McWhorter.  Certificate.  Second  President. 
Third  President.  The  Academy  broken  up.  Mount  Zion  College.  List 
of  Academies  by  Presbyterians.  Probable  proportion  of  those  able  to  read. 
The  institutions  established  by  Presbyterians.  The  Caldwell  Institute ; 
its  origin  and  principles  of  operation.  Opinion  of  Dr.  Caldwell.  The 
Donaldson  Academy.  Davidson  College  ;  its  principles.  Attention  to 
female  education.  Martin  Academy  in  Tennessee.  Extract  from  the 
report  of  the  Committee  of  Fayetteville  Presbytery 

CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA  AND  REV.  JOSEPH  CALDWELL,  D.D. 

A  visit  to  the  University  on  Commencement  day.  Death  of  a  young  lady. 
The  University  a  State  Institution.  The  interest  of  the  Presbyterians  in 
it.  The  Legislature  determine  to  found  a  University.  The  Trustees. 
Its  location.  Laying  the  corner-stone.  Extract  from  the  speech  of  Dr. 
M'Corkle.  The  University  is  opened.  The  first  Professor.  Mr.  Harris 
recommends  Mr.  Caldwell.  His  parentage.  His  early  training.  Commen- 
ces his  Classical  course.  His  education  abandoned.  At  the  suggestion  of 
Dr.  Witherspoon  his  course  is  renewed.  Enters  College.  His  views  re- 
specting his  conduct  in  College.  Takes  his  degree.  Commences  school- 
teaching.  Is  made  tutor  in  Nassau  Hall.  His  connection  with  the  church 
under  Mr.  Austin.  Correspondence  with  his  classmate.  Appointed  pro- 
fessor of  Mathematics  at  Chapel  Hill.  Sets  out  for  Carolina.  Anecdote 
of  Dr.  Green.  Enters  on  his  office.  The  advantages  of  his  situation. 
The  difficulties  of  it.  The  efforts  of  infidel  notions.  Extract  from  a  letter. 
Exhibition  of  Presbyterian  principles.  False  notions  of  education.  Or- 
dination of  Dr.  Caldwell.  His  talents  judged  by  his  works.  Advocates 
the  Presbyterial  High  School.     His  religious  experience 527 


SKETCHES 


NORTH    CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  I. 

THE    FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE    IN    THE    UNITED 
STATES    OF    AMERICA,    MAY    20TH,     1775. 

The  little  village  of  Charlotte,  the  seat  of  justice  for  Meck- 
lenburg county,  North  Carolina,  was  the  theatre  of  one  of  the 
most  memorable  events  in  the  political  annals  of  the  United  States. 
Situated  in  the  fertile  champaign,  between  the  Yadkin  and 
Catawba  rivers,  far  above  tide-water,  some  two  hundred  miles 
from  the  ocean,  and  in  advance  of  the  mountains  that  run  almost 
parallel  to  the  Atlantic  coast,  on  the  route  of  that  emigration  which, 
before  the  Revolution,  passed  on  southwardly,  from  Pennsylvania, 
through  Virginia,  to  the  unoccupied  regions  east  of  the  Mount- 
ains, on  what  is  now  the  upper  stage  route  from  Georgia,  through 
South  Carolina  and  North  Carolina,  to  meet  the  railroad  at 
Raleigh, — it  was,  and  is,  the  centre  of  an  enterprising  population. 
It  received  its  name  from  Princess  Charlotte  of  Mecklenburg, 
whose  native  province  also  gave  name  to  the  county,  the  House 
of  Hanover  having  been  invited  to  the  throne  of  England. 

Here  was  located  the  first  academy,  or  high  school,  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  State  ;  and  here  was  made  the  first  effort  for  a 
college  in  North  Carolina,  in  the  institution  called  Queen's  Mu- 
seum. 

The  traveller,  in  passing  through  this  fertile,  retired,  and  popu- 
lous country,  would  now  see  nothing  calculated  to  suggest  the 

3 


34  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

fact,  that  he  was  on  the  ground  of  the  boldest  Declaration  ever 
made  in  America ;  and  that  all  around  him  were  localities  rich  in 
associations  of  valor  and  suffering  in  the  cause  of  National  Inde- 
pendence, the  sober  recital  of  which  borders  on  romance.  Every- 
thing looks  peaceful,  secluded,  and  prosperous,  as  though  the 
track  of  hostile  armies  had  never  defaced  the  soil.  Were  he  told, 
this  is  the  spot  where  lovers  of  personal  and  national  liberty  will 
come,  in  pilgrimage  or  imagination,  to  ponder  events  of  the  deep- 
est interest  to  all  mankind,  he  must  feel,  in  the  beauty  and  fertility 
of  the  surrounding  region,  that  here  was  a  chosen  habitation  for 
good  men  to  live,  and  act,  and  leave  to  their  posterity  the  inesti- 
mable privileges  of  political  and  religious  freedom,  with  abundance 
of  all  that  may  be  desired  to  make  life  one  continued  thanksgiving. 
Seventy  years  ago,  on  the  19th  day  of  May,  1775,  might  have 
been  seen  assembled,  in  this  frontier  settlement,  an  immense  con- 
course of  people  under  great  excitement ;  some  few,  well  dressed, 
moving  about  with  the  dignity  of  Colonial  Magistrates ;  a  small 
number  of  officers  of  the  militia  ;  the  great  mass  of  the  assembly 
■  clad  in  the  homespun  of  their  wives  and  sisters, — not  a  few  shod 
with  the  moccasins  of  their  own  manufacture, — all  completely 
wrapt  in  the  exciting  subjects  of  a  revolutionary  nature,  then 
agitating  the  whole  land.  Continental  Congress  was  then  in  ses- 
sion in  Philadelphia,  consulting  for  the  welfare  of  the  Colonies  ; 
provincial  Legislatures  had  been  dissolved,  and  the  whole  popula- 
tion of  the  United  Provinces  were  in  commotion,  discussing  the 
rights  and  privileges  of  persons,  and  States,  and  Kings.  Every 
man  had  become  a  politician,  and  from  being  a  hunter  was  pre- 
pared to  become  a  soldier. 

There  was  no  printing  press  in  the  upper  country  of  Carolina, 
and  many  a  weary  mile  must  be  traversed  to  find  one.  Newspa- 
pers were  few,  and,  no  regular  post  traversing  the  country,  were 
seldom  seen.  The  people,  anxious  for  news,  were  accustomed  to 
assemble  to  hear  printed  handbills  from  abroad,  or  written  ones 
drawn  up  by  persons  appointed  for  the  purpose,  particularly  the 
Rev.  Thomas  Reese,  of  Mecklenburg,  North  Carolina,  whose 
bones  lie  in  the  grave  yard  of  the  Stone  Church,  Pendleton, 
South  Carolina.  There  had  been  frequent  assemblies  in  Char- 
lotte, to  hear  the  news  and  join  in  the  discussions  of  the  exciting 
subjects  of  the  day  ;  and  finally,  to  give  more  efficiency  to  their 
discussions,  it  was  agreed  upon,  generally,  that  Thomas  Polk, 
Colonel  of  the  Militia,  long  a  surveyor  in  the  province,  frequently 
a  member  of  the   Colonial  Assembly,  well  known  and  well  ac- 


FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  35 

quainted  in  the  surrounding  counties,  a  man  of  great  excellence 
and  merited  popularity,  should  be  empowered  to  call  a  convention 
of  the  representatives  of  the  people,  whenever  it  should  appear 
advisable.  It  was  also  agreed  that  these  representatives  should 
be  chosen  from  the  Militia  districts,  by  the  people  themselves  ; 
and  that  when  assembled  for  council  and  debate,  their  decisions 
should  be  binding  on  the  inhabitants  of  Mecklenburg. 

Having  heard  of  the  attempt  of  Governor  Martin  to  prevent  the 
assembling  of  a  Provincial  Congress,  or  Convention,  in  Newbern, 
in  April ;  and  of  his  arbitrary  proceedings  in  dissolving  the  last 
provincial  Legislature  after  a  session  of  four  days,  before  any  im- 
portant business  had  been  transacted  ;  and  being  afflicted  with  the 
news  from  distant  colonies,  and  from  across  the  ocean,  the  people 
were  clamorous  for  action  and  for  redress.  The  Provincial  Con- 
gress of  North  Carolina  had  assembled  in  direct  opposition  to  the 
proclamation  of  the  Governor,  and  had  approved  of  the  acts  and 
doings  of  their  representatives  in  the  Continental  Congress,  ex- 
pressing their  confidence  in  their  wisdom  and  abilities,  by  re-ap- 
pointing them  to  the  arduous  duties  of  Representatives  in  the 
Legislature  of  the  United  Colonies ;  and  the  people  generally 
were  more  and  more  restless  under  the  exercise  of  royal  author- 
ity, and  daily  more  irritated  by  the  exactions  of  men  who  glutted 
their  avarice  under  the  color  of  law. 

In  this  state  of  the  public  mind,  Colonel  Polk  issued  his  notice 
for  the  committee  men  to  assemble  in  Charlotte,  on  the  19th  of 
May,  1775.  On  the  appointed  day  between  twenty  and  thirty 
representatives  of  the  people  met  in  the  Court  House,  in  the  cen- 
tre of  the  town,  at  the  crossing  of  the  great  streets,  and  surround- 
ed by  an  immense  concourse,  few  of  whom  could  enter  the  house, 
proceeded  to  organize  for  business,  by  choosing  Abraham  Alex- 
ander, a  former  member  of  the  Legislature,  a  magistrate,  and 
ruling  elder  in  the  Sugar  Creek  Congregation,  in  whose  bounds 
they  were  assembled,  as  their  chairman  ;  and  John  McKnitt  Alex- 
ander, and  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  men  of  business  habits  and 
great  popularity,  their  clerks.  Papers  were  read  before  the  Con- 
vention and  the  people  ;  the  handbill,  brought  by  express,  containing 
the  news  of  the  battle  of  Lexington,  Massachusetts,  on  that  day 
one  month,  the  19th  of  April,  came  to  hand  that  day,  and  was 
read  to  the  assembly.  The  Rev.  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  Pastor 
of  Poplar  Tent,  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  and  William  Kennon, 
Esq.,  addressed  the  Convention  and  the  people  at  large.  Under 
the   excitement  produced  by  the  wanton  bloodshed  at  Lexington, 


3(5  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

and  the  addresses  of  these  gentlemen,  the  assembly  cried  out  as 
with  one  voice,  "  Let  ns  be  independent !  Let  us  declare  our 
independence,  and  defend  it  with  our  lives  and  fortunes  !"  The 
speakers  said,  his  Majesty's  proclamation  had  declared  them  out 
of  the  protection  of  the  British  Crown,  and  they  ought,  therefore, 
lo  declare  themselves  out  of  his  protection,  and  independent  of  all 
his  control. 

A  committee,  consisting  of  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard,  Mr.  Kennon, 
and  Rev.  Mr.  Balch,  were  appointed  to  prepare  resolutions  suitable 
to  the  occasion.  Some  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Brevard,  and  read  to  his 
friends  at  a  political  meeting  in  Queen's  Museum  some  days  before, 
were  read  to  the  Convention,  and  then  committed  to  these  gentle- 
men for  revision. 

While  the  committee  were  out  discussing  these  resolutions,  the 
Convention  continued  in  session  and  were  addressed  by  several 
gentlemen.  General  Joseph  Graham,  then  but  a  youth,  and  pre- 
sent at  the  deliberations,  relates  an  interesting  incident.  A  mem- 
ber of  the  committee,  who  had  said  but  little  before,  addressed 
the  chairman  as  follows  :  "  If  you  resolve  on  Independence,  how 
shall  we  all  be  absolved  from  the  obligations  of  the  oath  we  took 
to  be  true  to  King  George  the  Third,  about  four  years  ago,  after 
the  Regulation  battle,  when  we  were  sworn,  whole  militia  compa- 
nies together  ?  I  should  be  glad  to  know  how  gentlemen  can 
clear  their  consciences  after  taking  that  oath  ?"  The  Speaker 
referred  to  the  blood  shed  by  Governor  Try  on,  on  the  1 6th  of  May, 
1771,  on  Alamance  Creek,  when  he  dispersed  the  Regulators,  men 
driven  to  open  resistance  of  His  Majesty's  officers,  by  their 
tyranny  and  exactions  ; — and  to  the  numerous  executions  that  fol- 
lowed in  Hillsborough .  and  the  neighboring  country  ; — and  to  the 
oath  of  allegiance  forced  on  the  people  by  the  Governor,  to  save 
their  lives  and  property,  after  that  bloodshed.  The  question  pro- 
duced great  confusion,  and  many  attempted  to  reply ;  the  chair- 
man could  with  difficulty  preserve  order.  This  question  did  not 
imply  fear,  or  want  of  patriotism  ;  it  simply  revealed  the  spirit  and 
tone  of  the  man's  conscience,  that  he  was  one  of  those  men  bless- 
ed of  the  Lord,  "  who  sweareth  to  his  own  hurt,  and  changeth 
not."  The  excitement  that  followed  evinced  the  fact  that  the 
Speaker  had  struck  a  chord  that  vibrated  through  the  assembly. 
An  answer  must  be  given,  or  the  event  of  that  day's  discussion 
would  not  be  for  independence.  The  haste  to  answer  the  ques- 
tion revealed  the  fact  that  iho,i  community  felt  the  awful  and  bind- 
ing sanction  of  a  solemn  oath  ;    and  unless  some  answer  was 


FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  37 

given,  and  given  speedily,  the  minds  of  the  auditory  would  be 
turned  back  from  the  proposed  declaration,  for  very  many  were 
held  by  the  oath  exacted  by  Tryon.  Some  cried  out  that — "al- 
legiance and  protection  were  reciprocal ;  when  protection  was 
withdrawn,  allegiance  ceased  ;  that  the  oath  was  binding  onlv 
while  the  King  protected  us  in  our  rights  and  liberties  as  they 
existed  at  the  time  it  was  taken."  Others,  of  more  passion  than 
conscience,  cried  out  that  such  questions  and  difficulties  were  all 
"  nonsense."  One  man  at  last  carried  the  assembly  with  him  by 
a  short  illustration,  pointing  to  a  green  tree  near  the  Court  House% 
— "  If  I  am  sworn  to  do  a  thing  as  long  as  the  leaves  continue  on 
that  tree,  I  am  bound  by  that  oath  as  long  as  the  leaves  continue. 
But  when  the  leaves  fall,  I  am  released  from  that  obligation." 
The  people  determined  that  when  protection  ceased,  allegiance 
ceased  also.  The  Convention  proceeded  to  enact  by-laws  and 
regulations  by  which  it  should  be  governed  as  a  standing  commit- 
tee, and  about  midnight  adjourned  till  noon  the  next  day. 

The  excitement  continued  to  increase  through  the  night  and  the 
succeeding  morning.  At  noon,  May  20th,  the  Convention  re-assem- 
bled with  an  undiminished  concourse  of  citizens,  amongst  whom 
might  be  seen  many  wives  and  mothers,  anxiously  awaiting  the 
event.  The  resolutions  previously  drawn  up  by  Dr.  Brevard,  and 
now  amended  by  the  committee,  together  with  the  by-laws  and 
regulations,  were  taken  up ;  John  McKnitt  Alexander  read  the 
by-laws,  and  Dr.  Brevard  the  resolutions.  All  was  stillness.  The 
chairman  of  the  Convention  put  the  question: — "Are  you  all 
agreed  ?"     The  response  was  an  universal  "  aye." 

After  the  business  of  the  Convention  was  all  arranged,  it  was 
moved  and  seconded  that  the  proceedings  should  be  read  at  the 
Court  House  door  in  hearing  of  the  multitude.  Proclamation  was 
made,  and  from  the  Court  House  steps  Colonel  Thomas  Polk 
read,  to  a  listening  and  approving  auditory,  the  following  resolu- 
tions, viz. : — 

THE    MECKLENBURG    DECLARATION. 

"Resolved,  1st.  That  whosoever  directly  or  indirectly  abetted, 
or  in  any  way,  form,  or  manner,  countenanced  the  unchartered  and 
dangerous  invasion  of  our  rights,  as  claimed  by  Great  Britain,  is 
an  enemy  to  this  country,  to  America,  and  to  the  inherent  and 
unalienable  rights  of  man. 

"  Resolved,  2d.  That,  we,  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg  county, 
do  hereby  dissolve  the  political  bonds  which  have  connected  us 


38  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

with  the  mother  country,  and  hereby  absolve  ourselves  from  all 
allegiance  to  the  British  crown,  and  abjure  all  political  connection, 
contract,  or  association  with  that  nation,  who  have  wantonly 
trampled  on  our  rights  and  liberties,  and  inhumanly  shed  the  blood 
of  American  Patriots  at  Lexington. 

"  Resolved,  3d.  That  we  do  hereby  declare  ourselves  a  free  and 
independent  people  ;  are,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a  sovereign 
and  self-governing  association,  under  the  control  of  no  power, 
other  than  that  of  our  God,  and  the  General  Government  of  the 
Congress  : — to  the  maintenance  of  which  independence,  we  sol- 
emnly pledge  to  each  other,  our  mutual  co-operation,  our  lives, 
our  fortunes,  and  our  most  sacred  honor. 

"  Resolved,  4th.  That  as  we  acknowledge  the  existence  and  con- 
trol of  no  law,  nor  legal  office,  civil  or  military,  within  this  county  ; 
we  do  hereby  ordain  and  adopt,  as  a  rule  of  life,  all,  each,  and 
every  of  our  former  laws  ;  wherein,  nevertheless,  the  crown  of 
Great  Britain  never  can  be  considered  as  holding  rights,  privileges, 
immunities,  or  authority  therein. 

"  Resolved,  5th.  That  it  is  further  decreed,  that  all,  each,  and 
every  military  officer  in  this  county  is  hereby  retained  in  his  former 
command  and  authority,  he  acting  conformably  to  these  regulations. 
And  that  every  member  present  of  this  delegation  shall  henceforth 
be  a  civil  officer,  viz.  :  a  Justice  of  the  Peace,  in  the  character  of 
a  committee  man,  to  issue  process,  hear  and  determine  all  matters 
of  controversy,  according  to  said  adopted  laws ;  and  to  preserve 
peace,  union,  and  harmony  in  said  county  ;  and  to  use  every  exer- 
tion to  spread  the  love  of  country  and  fire  of  freedom  throughout 
America,  until  a  general  organized  government  be  established  in 
this  province." 

A  voice  from  the  crowd  called  out  for  "  three  cheers,"  and  the 
whole  company  shouted  three  times,  and  threw  their  hats  in  the 
air.  The  Resolutions  were  read  again  and  again  during  the  day 
to  different  companies  desirous  of  retaining  in  their  memories 
sentiments  so  congenial  to  their  feelings.  There  are  still  living 
some  whose  parents  were  in  that  assembly,  and  heard  and  read 
the  resolutions  ;  and  from  whose  lips  they  heard  the  circumstances 
and  sentiments  of  this  remarkable  declaration. 

THE    SECOND    MECKLENBURG    DECLARATION. 

The  Convention  had  frequent  meetings,  and  on  the  30th  of  May, 
1775,  issued  the  following  paper,  viz.: — 


first  declaration  of  independence.  39 

"  Charlotte,  Mecklenburg  County, 
May  30th,  1775. 

"  This  day  the  committee  of  the  county  met  and  passed  the 
following  Resolves : — Whereas,  by  an  Address  presented  to  his 
Majesty  by  both  houses  of  parliament,  in  February  last,  the 
American  Colonies  are  declared  to  be  in  a  state  of  actual  rebellion, 
we  conceive  that  all  laws  and  commissions  confirmed  by,  or  de- 
rived from  the  authority  of  the  king  or  parliament,  are  annulled 
and  vacated,  and  the  former  civil  constitution  of  these  Colonies 
for  the  present  wholly  suspended.  To  provide,  in  some  degree, 
for  the  exigencies  of  this  county,  in  the  present  alarming  period, 
we  deem  it  necessary  and  proper  to  pass  the  following  resolves, 
viz.  : — 

"  1st.  That  all  commissions,  civil  and  military,  heretofore 
granted  b)^  the  crown,  to  be  exercised  in  these  Colonies,  are  null 
and  void,  and  the  constitution  of  each  particular  Colony  wholly 
suspended. 

"  2d.  That  the  Provincial  Congress  of  each  province,  under  the 
direction  of  the  great  Continental  Congress,  is  invested  with  all 
legislative  and  executive  powers,  within  their  respective  provinces, 
and  that  no  other  legislative  power  does,  or  can  exist,  at  this  time, 
in  any  of  these  Colonies. 

"  3d.  As  all  former  laws  are  now  suspended  in  this  province, 
and  the  Congress  have  not  provided  others,  we  judge  it  necessary 
for  the  better  preservation  of  good  order,  to  form  certain  rules 
and  regulations  for  the  internal  government  of  this  county,  until 
laws  shall  be  provided  for  us  by  the  Congress. 

"4th.  That  the  inhabitants  of  this  county  do  meet  on  a  certain 
day  appointed  by  this  committee,  and  having  formed  themselves 
into  nine  companies,  viz.,  eight  in  the  county,  and  one  in  the  town 
of  Charlotte,  do  choose  a  Colonel  and  other  military  officers,  who 
shall  hold  and  exercise  their  several  powers  by  virtue  of  this 
choice,  and  independent  of  the  crown  of  Great  Britain  and  the 
former  constitution  of  this  province." 

[  Then  follow  eleven  articles  for  the  preservation  of  the  peace, 
and  the  choice  of  officers  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  regular  gov- 
ernment.'] 

"  16th.  That  whatever  person  shall  hereafter  receive  a  com- 
mission from  the  crown,  or  attempt  to  exercise  any  such  commis- 
sion heretofore  received,  shall  be  deemed  an  enemy  to  his  country; 
and  upon  information  to  the  captain  of  the  company  in  which  he 
resides,  the  company  shall  cause  him  to  be  apprehended,  and, 


40  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

upon  proof  of  the  fact,  committed  to  safe  custody,  till  the  next 
sitting  of  the  committee,  who  shall  deal  with  him  as  prudence 
shall  direct." 

A  copy  of  the  acts  and  doings  of  this  convention  was  sent  by 
express  to  the  members  of  Congress  from  North  'Carolina,  then 
in  session  in  Philadelphia.  Capt.  James  Jack,  of  Charlotte,  was 
chosen  as  the  bearer,  and  set  out  immediately  on  his  mission. 
Passing  through  Salisbury,  on  the  regular  court  day,  he  was  per- 
suaded by  Mr.  Kennon,  a  lawyer  in  attendance  at  court,  also  a 
member  of  the  committee  that  reported  the  first  declaration,  to 
permit  a  reading  of  the  papers  publicly.  The  citizens  of  Rowan, 
generally,  approved  of  the  course  taken  by  their  fellow-citizens  of 
Mecklenburg.  Two  individuals,  John  Dunn  and  Benjamin  Booth 
Boote,  opposed  the  sentiments  of  the  resolution,  pronounced  them 
treasonable,  and  proposed  the  detention  of  Captain  Jack.  Bidding 
them  defiance,  and  favored  by  the  great  majority  of  the  people, 
he  passed  on  unmolested,  and  delivered  the  declarations  to  the 
delegates  from  North  Carolina,  then  in  Philadelphia — Messrs. 
Caswell,  Hooper,  and  Hewes.  Approving  of  the  spirit  of  their 
fellow  citizens,  and  the  tone  of  the  resolutions,  these  gentlemen 
nevertheless  thought  them  premature,  as  the  General  Congress 
had  not  then  abandoned  all  hopes  of  a  reconciliation  with  the 
mother  country,  on  honorable  terms  ;  and  did  not  present  them  to 
Congress.  By  this  perhaps  prudent  smothering  of  the  expressions 
of  sentiment  by  an  intelligent  people,  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg 
were  disappointed,  but  not  discouraged  ;  they  lost  the  foreground 
their  patriotism  merited,  but  lost  not  their  spirit.  They  declared 
themselves  independent  May,  1775,  and  have  never  ceased  to 
be  so. 

A  copy  of  the  proceedings  of  the  Convention  was  addressed  to 
the  Moderator  of  the  first  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina, 
which  met  in  Hillsborough,  August  20th,  1775;  and  was  laid 
before  the  committee  of  business,  but  not  particularly  acted  upon, 
as  the  majority  of  the  body  were  still  hoping  for  reconciliation  on 
honorable  terms. 

A  copy  of  the  proceedings  appeared  in  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury, 
published  in  Wilmington,  and  meeting  the  eye  of  Governor  Josiah 
Martin,  is  thus  noticed  by  him  in  the  Proclamation  issued  from  on 
board  his  Majesty's  ship  Cruiser,  August  8th,  1775,  and  sent  to 
the  Provincial  Congress  : — "  And  whereas,  I  have  also  seen  a  most 
infamous  publication  in  the  Cape  Fear  Mercury,  importing  to  be 


FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  41 

'Resolves'1  of  a  set  of  people  styling  themselves  'a  Committee 
of  the  County  of  Mecklenburg, ,'  most  traitorously  declaring  the 
entire  dissolution  of  the  laws,  government,  and  constitution  of  the 
country,  and  setting  up  a  system  of  rule  and  regulation  repugnant 
to  the  laws,  and  subversive  of  his  Majesty's  government,"  &c. 
The  Governor  knew  the  people  better  than  his  predecessor, 
Tryon,  and  had  he  known  them  better  still,  he  would  have  spoken 
of  them  more  respectfully. 

A  copy  of  the  second  declaration  (that  of  May  30th,  1775) 
appeared  in  the  public  papers  in  New  York  and  Massachusetts  ; 
files  of  which  are  still  preserved  ;  and  from  them  was  copied  by 
Mr.  Force  into  his  State  Papers. 

The  history  of  the  preservation  of  the  first  declaration  (that  of 
May  20th,  1775),  in  the  absence  of  printed  documents,  will  be 
given,  in  full,  in  the  sketch  of  Hopewell  Congregation,  and  the 
Secretary  of  the  Convention. 

The  energy  of  the  committee  was  equal  to  the  decision  of  then- 
declarations.  The  laws  were  vigorously  enforced  ;  and  the  vene- 
rable chairman,  and  his  coadjutor  Col.  Polk,  with  the  committee 
at  large,  demonstrated  that,  in  seeking  freedom  from  tyranny,  they 
designed  no  overthrow  of  law,  or  perversion  of  justice.  Opposers 
of  independence  were  reckoned  offenders  ;  and  open  offenders 
found  no  refuge  in  Mecklenburg.  As  soon  as  the  news  of  the 
insult  offered  their  express,  Capt.  Jack,  in  Salisbury,  reached 
Charlotte,  the  committee  ordered  a  party  of  some  ten  or  twelve 
armed  men,  on  horseback,  to  proceed  to  -Salisbury,  the  seat  of 
jnstice  in  Rowan,  and  bring  these  men  prisoners  to  Charlotte. 
The  party  lost  no  time  in  fulfilling  their  mission,  and  met  with  no 
resistance  in  Rowan.  The  offenders,  Dunn  and  Boote,  were, 
after  examination  by  the  committee,  sent  to  South  Carolina  as 
suspicious  persons,  to  be  kept  in  confinement.  Gen.  Graham 
says — "  My  brother,  George  Graham,  and  the  late  Col.  John  Car- 
ruth,  were  of  the  party  that  went  to  Salisbury  ;  and  it  is  distinctly 
remembered  that  when  in  Charlotte,  they  came  home  at  night  in 
order  to  provide  for  their  trip  to  Camden  ;  and  they  and  two  others 
of  the  party  took  Boote  to  that  place.  This  was  the  first  military 
expedition  from  Mecklenburg  in  the  revolutionary  war,  and  believed 
to  be  the  first  anywhere  to  the  South." — But  it  was  far  from  heinu 
the  last,  retired  and  frontier  as  the  county  was.  It  characterized, 
in  its  spirit,  energy  and  success,  the  various  expeditions  in  and 
from  Mecklenburg  during  the  seven  years'  war — more  particularly 
in  the   distressing  campaigns   of  Cornwallis,  in   which   Graham 


42  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

himself  acted  so  conspicuous  a  part.  Dunn  and  Boote  were  both 
transferred  to  Charleston,  for.  safekeeping,  as  persons  particularly 
inimical  to  the  country.  Their  wives  made  a  strong  appeal  in 
their  favor  to  the  Provincial  Congress,  which  met  in  Hillsborough, 
August  20th,  1775  :  on  the  29th  of  that  month  it  was  decided  by 
a  vote  of  that  body  that  they  remain  in  confinement. 

Associations  were  formed,  very  generally,  throughout  the  differ- 
ent counties  in  the  state  during  the  summer  of  1775.  Articles 
drawn  up  for  the  purpose  were  signed  individually  as  a  test  of 
patriotism.  The  first  association  of  which  there  is  a  copy,  was 
drawn  up  in  Cumberland  county,  July  10th,  1775  ;  the  second  in 
Tryon,  now  Lincoln,  in  August  of  the  same  year. 

The  first  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina  were  not  pre- 
pared for  independence  of  the  mother  country  ;  and  on  the  4th  of 
September,  1775,  after  discussion  and  the  action  of  a  committee, 
it  was  resolved — "  The  present  association  ought  to  be  further 
relied  on  for  bringing  about  a  reconciliation  with  the  parent  state." 
But  on  the  9th  of  the  same  month,  the  appointment  of  a  Provincial 
Council,  of  thirteen  persons,  with  executive  powers,  was  resolved 
upon  ;  also  County  Committees  of  Safety,  with  executive  powers, 
in  connection  with  the  Provincial  Council,  to  consist  of  not  less 
than  twenty-one  persons,  to  be  chosen  annually  by  the  electors  on 
the  day  they  made  choice  of  Congressmen.  It  was  also  deter- 
mined that,  after  the  10th  day  of  December,  no  suit  for  debt  should 
be  entertained  except  by  permission  of  this  committee.  These 
committees  of  safety  appear  to  have  been  the  same  as  that  already 
in  existence  in  Mecklenburg  ;  and  Abraham  Alexander  continued 
to  act  as  the  chairman,  as  appears  from  the  following  certificate, 
which  may  be  also  a  specimen  of  the  spirit  of  the  times,  and  the 
vigilance  with  which  the  committee  acted  : 

"  North  Carolina,  Mecklenburg  County, 
"Nov.  28th,  1775. 

"  These  may  certify  to  all  whom  they  may  concern,  that  the 
bearer  hereof,  William  Henderson,  is  allowed  here  to  be  a  true 
friend  of  liberty,  and  has  signed  the  association. 

"  Certified  by  Abraham  Alexander,  chairman  of  the  committee 
of  safety." 

Though  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  made  and  repeated  in 
Charlotte,  in  May,  1775,  had  no  immediate  effect  upon  the  Con- 
tinental Congress,  it  is  not  unfair  to  conjecture  that  it  had  an  in- 


FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  43 

fluence  on  the  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina,  that  met  in 
Hillsborough  in  August  of  that  year,  in  the  appointment  of  the 
Provincial  Committee  and  the  County  Committees  of  Safety,  as 
four  of  the  members  of  the  convention  were  members  of  the 
Congress,  viz.  : — Thomas  Polk,  Waightstill  Avery,  John  Pfifer, 
and  John  McKnitt  Alexander.  Neither  is  it  unfair  to  conclude 
that  it  had  some  influence  on  the  Provincial  Congress  that  assem- 
bled in  Halifax,  April  4th,  1776  :  as,  on  the  8th  of  that  month  a 
committee  was  appointed,  consisting  of  Messrs.  Harnett,  Burke, 
A.  Jones,  T.  Jones,  Nash,  Henekin,  and  Person,  to  take  into  con- 
sideration the  usurpations  and  violence  committed  by  the  king  and 
parliament  of  Great  Britain;  and,  on  the  12th,  Mr.  Harnett  sub- 
mitted an  able  report,  which  was  concluded  with  the  following 
resolution,  viz.  : 

"  Resolved,  That  the  delegates  from  this  colony,  in  Continental 
Congress,  be  empowered  to  concur  with  the  delegates  of  the  other 
colonies  in  declaring  independence,  and  in  forming  foreign  alli- 
ances ;  reserving  to  this  colony  the  sole  and  exclusive  right  of 
forming  a  constitution  and  laws  for  this  colony,  and  of  appointing 
delegates  from  time  to  time  (under  the  direction  of  a  general  repre- 
sentation thereof),  to  meet  delegates  of  the  other  colonies  for  such 
purposes  as  shall  be  hereafter  pointed  out." 

This  resolution  was,  on  the  same  day  it  was  proposed,  unani- 
mously adopted ;  and  is  the  first  public  declaration  for  in- 
dependence   BY    THE    CONSTITUTED  AUTHORITIES    OF  A  STATE.      It 

was  presented  to  the  Continental  Congress,  May  27th,  1776, 
nearly  six  weeks  before  the  national  Declaration. 

The  question  now  arises,  who  were  these  people  of  Meck- 
lenburg, and  whence  did  they  come  ?  What  were  the  habits 
and  manners  by  which  they  were  characterized  ?  What  were  their 
religious  principles  ?  and  what  their  daily  practice  ?  The  county 
was  comparatively  new  ;  and  it  was  not  yet  forty  years  since  the 
first  of  those  composing  the  convention  had  settled  in  the  wilder- 
ness. Agriculturists,  at  a  distance  from  market,  and  in  a  fertile 
country  affording  in  its  pea-patches,  and  cane-brakes,  and  prairies, 
plentiful  sustenance  for  their  herds,  they  had  abundance  of  pro- 
visions, and  little  of  the  sinews  of  war,  money.  Skilful  marksmen, 
hunters,  and  horsemen,  capable  of  enduring  great  fatigue,  in  mak- 
ing the  Declaration  of  Independence,  they  offered  a  heart  and  a 
hand,  to  give  and  act  according  to  their  abilities,  and  the  emergen- 
cies in  which  they  might  be  placed.  The  riches  of  the  gold  mines 
were  then  unknown  :  the  wealth  of  the  country  was  in  her  sons, 


44  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

and  she  was  rich.  Protestants,  trained  in  religious  things  in  the 
strict  doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  their  settlements  were  made 
in  congregations  ;  and  their  places  of  worship  so  arranged  as  to 
accommodate  all  the  families.  Their  descendants  now  assemble 
where  their  fathers  worshipped  before  the  Revolution.  Their 
forms  and  creed  were  the  forms  and  creed  of  their  ancestors,  who 
were  eminently  a  religious  people  ;  and  their  Confession  of  Faith 
has  descended  as  a  legacy  from  the  emigrants,  to  go  down  to  the 
latest  posterity. 

Whence  did  these  people  come  ?  and  what  was  their  an- 
cestry ?  Of  the  members  of  the  Convention  that  proclaimed  In- 
dependence, May,  1775,  one  was  a  minister  of  the  Gospel,  and 
nine  were  Elders  in  the  Church  ;  and  all  in  some  way  connected 
with  the  seven  churches  and  congregations  that  embraced  the 
whole  county  of  Mecklenburg.  In  tracing  their  history,  the 
true  and  legitimate  workings  of  religious  principles  are  as  happily 
displayed  as  in  the  annals  of  any  State  or  section  in  the  United 
Slates.  When  the  history  of  these  people  and  their  descendants 
shall  be  the  history  of  two  centuries,  it  may,  and  probably  will 
appear,  that  in  the  advance  of  true  religious  and  genuine  liberty 
and  sound  literature,  the  South  and  West  are  not  a  whit  behind 
the  most  favored  sections  of  our  Confederacy.  It  cannot  well  be 
otherwise,  for  the  principles,  the  creed  of  Puritanism,  under 
whose  influence  human  society  has  so  happily  been  developed 
in  the  New  England  States,  are  the  principles  of  Presbytery,  the 
principles  of  civil  and  religious  liberty,  that  struck  deep  in  the 
soil  of  Carolina,  and  sent  out  their  vigorous  shoots  in  the  great 
valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

But  the  question  arises  with  increased  force,  who  were  these 
people,  and  whence  did  they  come  ?  In  what  school  of  poli- 
tics and  religion  had  they  been  disciplined  ?  At  what  foun- 
tains had  they  been  drinking  such  inspirations,  that  here  in  the 
wilderness,  common  people,  in  their  thoughts  of  freedom  and 
equality,  far  outstripped  the  most  ardent  leaders  in  the  Conti- 
nental Congress  ?  Whence  came  these  men,  that  spoke  out 
their  thoughts,  and  thought  as  they  spoke  ;  and  both  thought  and 
spoke  unextinguishable  principles  of  freedom  of  conscience  and 
civil  liberty  ?  That  they  were  poor  and  obscure  but  adds  to  their 
interest,  when  it  is  known  that  their  deeds  in  the  Revolution 
were  equal  to  their  principles.  Many  a  "life"  was  given  in 
Mecklenburg  in  consequence  of  that  declaration,  and  ^mucli  of 
"fortune"  was  sacrificed;  but  their  "honor"  came  out  safe,  even 


FIRST    DECLARATION    OF    INDEPENDENCE.  45 

their  great  enemy  Tarleton  being  witness.  They  did  not  get  then- 
ideas  of  liberty  and  law  from  Vattcl,  or  Puffendorf,  or  the  tomes 
of  English  law.  From  what  book  then  did  they  get  their  know- 
ledge, their  principles  of  life  ?  Ahead  of  their  own  State  in  their 
political  notions,  as  a  body,  they  never  wavered  through  the 
whole  Revolutionary  struggle  ;  and  their  descendants  possess 
now  just  what  these  people  asserted  then,  both  in  religion  and 
politics,  in  conscience  and  in  the  state. 

To  North  Carolina  belongs  the  imperishable  honor  of  being 
the  first  in  declaring  that  Independence,  which  is  the  pride  and 
glory  of  every  American.     Honor  to  whom  honor  is  due  ! 


46  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  II. 

BLOOD  SHED  ON  THE  ALAMANCE THE  FIRST  BLOOD  SHED  IN 

THE  REVOLUTION,  MAY  16TH,  1771. 

In  the  year  1759  a  town  was  established  by  the  legislature  of 
the  province  of  North  Carolina,  on  the  Eno,  a  branch  of  the 
Neuse,  near  its  head  waters,  in  the  county  of  Orange,  which 
might  have  received  its  name,  Hillsborough,  from  the  beautiful 
eminences  by  which  it  is  surrounded,  as  well  as  from  the  Earl 
of  Hillsborough,  Secretary  of  State  for  American  affairs,  from 
whom  it  is  called.  Its  first  name  was  Childsborough,  in  honor 
of  the  Attorney-General ;  but  the  change  speedily  took  place  on 
account  of  the  odium  attached  to  the  attorney  for  his  exorbitant 
fees. 

This  little  village,  the  county  seat  of  Orange,  has  claims  upon 
our  attention,  for  events  enacted  within  its  precincts  and  its 
neighborhood,  in  times  gone  by.  It  was  the  seat  of  the  first 
provincial  congress  in  North  Carolina,  1775; — the  head-quarters 
of  Gates  after  his  sad  defeat  at  Camden ; — and  of  his  adversary, 
Lord  Cornwallis,  on  his  invasion  of  Carolina  in  his  pursuit  of 
Greene  (the  residence  of  his  Lordship,  then  one  of  the  most 
sightly  buildings  in  the  village,  is  now  kept  as  a  tavern  of  no 
splendid  appearance) ; — but  more  particularly  noted  as  the  place 
of  the  first  outbreaking  of  those  discontents,  which  had  shown 
themselves  in  complaints  and  remonstrances,  but  here  assumed 
form  and  consistence,  first  heard  of  in  Orange  and  Granville,  and 
ultimately  spreading  over  all  that  section  of  the  State  west  of  a 
line  drawn  from  the  point  of  entrance  of  the  Roanoke,  from 
Virginia,  to  the  point  of  egress  of  the  Yadkin  to  South  Carolina  ; 
— discontents,  and  complaints,  and  outbreakings,  that  eventuated 
in  the  first  blood  shed  in  Carolina,  in  the  contest  of  freedom  of 
opinion  and  property  with  the  tyranny  and  misrule  of  the  British 
government :  and  the  first  contest  that  had  any  appearance  of 
a  regular  predetermined  battle,  in  the  provinces  in  North 
America. 

This  spirit  of  discontent  was  at  first  confined  to  that  part  of 
the  province  granted  and  set  off  to  Lord  Granville,  which  was 
bounded  by  the  Virginia  line  on  the  north,  by  the  line  of  latitude 


FIRST  BLOOD  SHED  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.  47 

of  35°  34/  on  the  south,  and  extending  from  the  Atlantic  Ocean 
indefinitely  west ;  but  more  particularly,  that  part  of  his  Lord- 
ship's domain  lying  west  of  the  line  from  the  Roanoke  to  the 
Catawba,  at  the  points  specified  above.  Jt  might  have  been 
quieted,  had  the  governor  been  as  ready  to  require  the  agents  of 
Granville  and  his  own  officers  to  do  justice,  as  he  was  to  issue 
his  proclamations,  filled  with  promises,  and  vain  orders,  to  a 
people  irritated  by  oppression,  but  not  desirous  of  rebellion. 

On  the  24th  of  April,  1771,  Governor  Tryon  marched  from 
Newbern  with  a  small  force,  on  his  way,  according  to  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  council,  to  check  a  rebellion  in  the  upper 
country,  which  had  received  the  name  of  the  Regulators,  or  the 
Regulation ;  the  militia  of  the  several  counties,  in  answer  to  the 
governor's  demand  upon  the  constituted  authorities,  joined  him  on 
his  march ;  and  on  the  4th  of  May  he  encamped  at  Hunter's 
lodge  in  Wake  county.  Here  being  joined  by  a  detachment  of 
militia  under  Col.  John  Hinton,  he  found  himself  at  the  head  of 
an  armed  force  sufficient  to  alarm,  if  not  subdue,  the  undisci- 
plined country  in  which  the  dissatisfaction  prevailed.  He  left 
the  palace  in  Newbern  accompanied  by  about  three  hundred  men, 
a  small  train  of  artillery,  and  a  number  of  baggage  wagons ;  on 
the  way  he  had  been  joined  by  the  detachment  of  militia  from 
New  Hanover  county,  under  Col.  John  Ashe  ;  of  the  county  of 
Craven,  under  Col.  Joseph  Leech ;  of  the  county  of  Dobbs  (now 
called  Lenoir),  under  Col.  Richard  Caswell ;  of  the  county  of 
Onslow,  under  Col.  Craig ;  of  the  county  of  Cartaret,  under 
Col.  William  Thompson  ;  of  the  county  of  Johnson,  under  Col. 
Needham  Bryan  ;  of  the  county  of  Beaufort,  a  company  of  ar- 
tillery, under  Capt.  Moore,  and  a  company  of  Rangers  under 
Capt.  Neale  ;  and  a  company  of  light  horsemen  from  Duplin, 
under  Capt.  Bullock. 

From  this  place  he  sent  out  some  detachments  to  assist  the 
sheriffs  in  collecting  their  taxes  and  various  fees  due  to  the  go- 
vernment and  its  officers,  with  the  hope  of  overawing  the  com- 
munity by  his  military  parade  ;  and  on  the  9th  instant  marched  to 
the  Eno,  and  encamped  within  a  few  miles  of  Hillsborough,  the 
centre  of  the  infected  district,  and  the  residence  of  the  most 
hated  and  oppressive  officer  of  the  crown,  Col.  Edmund  Fan- 
ning, who  joined  his  camp  at  this  place  with  a  detachment  of  the 
militia  of  Orange,  whom  by  various  means  he  had  prevailed  upon 
to  unite  with  the  governor  in  putting  down  their  distressed  and 
rebellious  neighbors. 


18  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

This  was  the  second  visit  paid  by  the  governor  to  the  comity 
of  Orange  on  account  of  the  agitation  of  the  public  mind,  and  the 
disturbances  in  the  community,  and  the  difficulty  attending  the 
collection  of  taxes  and  the  fees  of  the  public  officers.  In  the 
early  part  of  July,  1768,  he  came  as  governor,  unattended  with 
any  armed  force,  and  used  the  authority  of  the  chief  magistrate, 
and  the  address  of  a  practised  politician,  to  restore  order,  under 
promises  of  redress.  The  apparent  quiet  gave  place  to  redoubled 
confusion  after  his  departure,  as  the  promises  of  protection  from 
illegal  exactions  all  proved  vain.  He  now  came  with  an  armed 
detachment  of  the  colonial  militia,  to  quell  by  power  what  he 
would  not  control  by  justice. 

The  whole  inhabited  region  of  Carolina,  west  of  the  line  men- 
tioned above,  inhabited,  as  Martin  says, — "by  several  thousand 
families,  removed  from  the  mother  country,  settled  in  the  frontier 
counties  of  the  province,  exposed  to  the  dangers  of  savage  Indi- 
ans, and  subject  to  all  the  hardships  and  difficulties  of  cultivating 
a  desolate  wilderness,  under  the  expectation  of  enjoying  to  their 
fullest  extent  the  exercise  of  their  religious  privileges  as  a  peo- 
ple,"— and  with  their  religious  were  joined  inseparably  the  civil 
and  domestic  rights  of  an  enterprising  race  accustomed  to  endure 
hardship  and  resist  oppression  ; — all  this  region  of  country  was 
agitated,  and  in  some  parts  in  open  rebellion  ;  without  a  single 
military  leader  of  experience  ;  with  few  men  of  much  wealth  or 
political  eminence,  or  polished  education ;  with  a  population  of 
scattered  neighborhoods,  and  not  a  single  fortified  place,  or  any 
preparations  of  the  munitions  of  war  beyond  the  rifle  and  powder 
and  ball  of  the  hunter. 

Mr.  Wirt,  in  his  Life  of  Patrick  Henry,  says,  "  the  spirit  of 
revolution  in  Virginia  began  in  the  highest  circles  in  the  commu- 
nity, and  worked  its  way  down  to  the  lower,  the  bone  and  sinew 
of  the  country."  Wherever  it  may  have  begun  in  the  eastern 
part  of  Carolina,  it  is  certain  that  in  the  western  division,  the 
people,  feeling  that  their  interests  were  neglected  by  the  governor, 
and  misunderstood  or  overlooked  by  the  seaboard  counties,  and 
not  protected,  or  even  consulted,  by  the  parliament  or  court  of 
England,  or  any  of  their  executive  officers,  were  moved  as  one 
great,  excited,  undisciplined  mass  of  shrewd,  hardy,  enterprising 
men,  that  acknowledged  the  dominion  of  law,  and  held  "  opposi- 
tion to  tyrants"  to  be  "  obedience  to  God." 

The  men  on  the  seaboard  of  Carolina,  with  Colonels  Ashe  and 
Waddel  at  their  head,  had  nobly  opposed  the  Stamp  Act,  and  pre- 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED    IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  49 

vented  its  execution  in  North  Carolina ;  and  in  their  patriotic 
movements  the  people  of  Orange  sustained  them  ;  and  called  them 
"  The  Sons  of  Liberty."  Col.  Ashe,  in  Wilmington,  had  ven 
tured  to  lead  the  excited  populace  against  the  wishes  and  even 
the  hospitality  of  the  governor,  and  in  1766  his  party  had  thrown 
the  governor's  roasted  ox,  provided  for  a  barbecue  feast,  into  the 
river.  Now  they  were  marching  with  this  very  governor,  to  sub- 
due the  disciples  of  Liberty  in  the  west ;  perhaps,  through  a  mis- 
understanding of  the  true  nature  of  the  case,  they  were  willing 
to  convince  the  governor  that  they  were  all  supporters  of  the 
laws  and  of  the  authority  of  the  British  crown,  by  uniting  with 
him  and  subduing  those  who  were  reported  to  the  council  and 
provincial  legislature  as  an  ignorant  and  restless  multitude,  to  be 
reclaimed,  by  severity,  to  the  government  of  the  laws.  The 
eastern  men  looked  for  evils  from  across  the  waters  ;  and  were 
prepared  to  resist  oppression  on  their  shores  before  it  should  step 
upon  the  soil  of  their  State.  The  western  men  were  seeking  re- 
dress from  evils  that  pressed  them  at  home,  under  the  misrule  of 
the  officers  of  the  province,  evils  unknown  by  experience  in  the 
eastern  counties,  and  misunderstood  when  reported  there.  Had 
Ashe,  and  Waddel,  and  Caswell,  understood  their  case,  they  would 
have  acted  like  Thomas  Person,  of  Granville,  and  favored  the 
distressed,  even  though  they  might  have  felt  under  obligations  to 
maintain  the  peace,  of  the  province,  and  the  due  subordination  to 
the  laws.  While  the  rest  of  this  province,  and  the  other  pro- 
vinces, were  resisting  by  resolutions  and  remonstrances,  and  mak- 
ing preparations  for  distant  and  coming  evils  ;  these  western  men, 
in  defence  of  their  rights,  boldly  made  resistance  to  the  consti- 
tuted authorities,  unto  blood.  While  the  eastern  men  stopped  the 
stamped  paper  on  the  shore,  these  contended  with  an  enemy  in 
their  own  bosom,  and  sought  deliverance  at  home  in  the  wil- 
derness. 

The  disturbances  Governor  Tryon  came  to  quell  were  no  sud- 
den outbreaks  of  a  discontented  and  excitable  people.  As  early 
as  the  year  1759,  the  attention  of  the  legislature  of  the  province 
was  called  to  the  illegal  fees  exacted  by  the  officers  of  government, 
producing  great  and  alarming  discontents  ;  and  a  law  proposed  for 
redress  failed  in  meeting  the  approbation  of  the  legislature,  though 
the  discontent  of  persons  living  on  Lord  Granville's  land  had  been 
manifested  by  the  seizure  of  his  lordship's  agent,  in  Edenton, 
Francis  Corbin,  and  his  purchase  of  liberty  by  his  bond,  for  future 
better  behavior,  in  £8,000,  with  eight  securities.     This  exhibition 

4 


50  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

of  popular  frenzy  was  not  noticed  by  the  governor,  because  one 
of  his  favorite  counsellors,  M'Culloch,  was  engaged  in  it.  In 
1760,  the  people  of  Orange,  finding  themselves  "defrauded  by 
the  clerks  of  the  several  courts,  by  the  recorders  of  deeds,  by  entry 
takers,  by  surveyors,  and  by  the  lawyers,  every  man  demanding 
twice  or  three  times  his  legal  fees,"  violently  prevented  the  sheriff 
from  holding  an  election  according  to  proclamation  of  the  governor, 
in  expectation  of  some  new  oppression  by  the  office-holders,  in  the 
form  of  taxes  and  fees.  Jn  June,  1765,  a  paper  entitled,  "  A  seri- 
ous address  to  the  people  of  Granville  county,  containing  a  brief 
narrative  of  our  situation,  and  the  wrongs  we  suffer,  with  some 
necessary  hints  with  respect  to  a  reformation,"  was  circulated  in 
that  county,  with  great  effect,  being  written  with  much  clearness 
and  force.  The  wrongs  complained  of  in  Orange,  and  Granville, 
and  Anson,  and  the  other  counties,  were  essentially,  and  for  the 
most  part,  individually  the  same. 

The  people  complained  that  illegal  and  exorbitant  fees  were  ex- 
torted by  officers  of  government ;  that  oppressive  taxes  were 
exacted  by  the  sheriffs,  where  they  had  a  right  to  exact  some  ;  and 
that  the  manner  of  their  collection  at  all  times  was  oppressive, 
especially  when  the  right  to  exact  any  was  denied.  As  early  as 
the  years  1752  or  1753,  Childs  and  Corbin,  the  agents  for  Lord 
Granville,  and  successors  of  Mosely  and  Holton,  began  to  oppress 
the  people  who  had  been  induced,  by  fair  promises,  to  settle  on 
his  lordship's  reservation,  by  declaring  the  patents  issued  by  their 
predecessors  null  and  void,  because  the  words,  "  Right  Ho- 
norable Earl,"  had  been  left  out  from  the  signature,  which  had 
been  simply,  "  Granville,  by  his  Attorneys."  They  next  demand- 
ed a  larger  fee  for  the  patents  they  issued,  than  had  been  given  to 
their  predecessors  ; — next,  a  fee  for  a  device  which  they  had  in- 
vented to  be  affixed  to  the  papers  ; — also,  by  granting  over  and 
over  again,  knowingly,  the  same  lands  to  different  persons,  and  in 
no  case  returning  the  illegal  fees  ; — and  in  various  ways  rendering 
titles  to  land  uncertain  and  insecure  in  a  large  part  of  Orange.  In 
all  these  extortions  the  people  complained  that  the  high  officers  of 
the  province  were  so  interested,  there  was  little  prospect  of  justice 
but  by  some  strong  appeals  and  exhibitions  of  powerful  dislike, 
that  could  not  be  frowned  down. 

The  governor's  proclamation,  issued  from  time  to  time,  requiring 
that  copies  of  the  legal  fees  should  be  exhibited  to  the  people,  and 
no  others  demanded,  were  disregarded  by  his  officers  ;  and  it  was 
more  than  hinted  that  the  judges  were,  indirectly  at  least,  in  many 


FIRST  BLOOD  SHED  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.  51 

cases,  partakers  of  the  crime,  by  sharing  the  fees  of  office  with 
the  inferior  officers.  This  gave  weight  and  impunity  to  the  op- 
pressive exactions.  The  people  were  poor ;  living  on  productive 
land  as  most  of  them  did,  they  were  far  from  market,  and  had 
scarcely  surmounted  the  labors  and  exposures  of  a  new  settlement. 
One  of  them,  who  was  engaged  in  the  opposition,  declared  that 
when  he  had  gone  with  his  father  to  Fayetteville  to  market,  with 
a  load  of  wheat,  he  could  get  a  bushel  of  salt  for  a  bushel  of 
wheat ;  or  if  money  was  demanded,  they  could  get  five  shillings  a 
bushel  for  wheat,  of  which  one  only  was  in  money,  and  the  rest  in 
trade.  And  if  they  could  go  home  with  forty  shillings,  or  five  dol- 
lars, from  a  load  of  forty  bushels,  they  thought  they  had  done  well. 
In  these  circumstances  double  fees  and  double  taxes  were  exceed- 
ingly oppressive, — and  to  men  of  their  principles  these  exactions 
were  sufficient  cause  of  open  and  persevering  resistance. 

In  1766,  the  Stamp  Act  was  repealed,  and  the  governor  issued 
two  proclamations  on  the  25th  of  June,  one  making  known  that 
desirable  fact,  the  other  requiring  of  the  officers  of  government 
■  strict  adherence  10  the  graduated  table  of  fees ;  expecting  of  con- 
sequence that  both  the  east  and  the  west  would  be  gratified,  and 
make  no  further  resistance  to  the  collection  of  the  lawful  taxes, 
and  range  themselves  on  the  side  of  the  government.  The  relief 
and  tranquillity  were  far  greater  in  the  eastern  counties  than  in  the 
western.  During  the  session  of  the  county  court  of  Orange,  a 
number  of  persons  entered  the  court-house  in  Hillsborough,  and 
presented  to  the  magistrates  a  luritten  complaint,  drawn  up  by 
Harmon  Husbands,  which  they  requested  the  clerk  to  read,  setting 
forth  the  views  of  the  people  respecting  their  wrongs, — "  that  there 
were  many  evils  complained  of  in  the  county  of  Orange  that  ought 
to  be  redressed," — and  proposing  that  there  should  be  a  meeting 
in  each  company  of  militia,  for  the  purpose  of  appointing  delegates 
for  a  general  meeting  to  be  held  at  some  suitable  place  "  where 
there  was  no  liquor" — "judiciously  to  inquire  whether  the  freemen 
of  this  county  labor  under  any  abuse  of  power," — "  that  the  opi- 
nions of  the  deputies  be  committed  to  writing,  freely  conversed 
upon, — and  measures  taken  for  amendment."  The  proposition  was 
considered  reasonable,  and  a  meeting  was  appointed  to  be  held  at 
Maddock's  Mill,  two  or  three  miles  west  of  Hillsborough,  on  the 
10th  of  October,  to  inquire  into  the  acts  of  government, — "  for 
while  men  were  men,  if  even  the  Sons  of  Liberty  were  put  in 
office  they  would  become  corrupt  and  oppressive,  unless  they  were 
called  upon  to  give  an  account  of  their  stewardship." 


52  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  company  meetings  were  held,  and  the  delegates  were  ap- 
pointed ;  in  some  cases,  with  written  commissions,  viz  : — "  At  a 
meeting  in  the  neighborhood  of  Deep  River,  20th  of  August,  1766, 
it  was  unanimously  agreed  to  appoint  W.  C.  and  W.  M.  to  attend 
a  general  meeting  on  the  10th  of  October,  at  Maddock's  Mill, 
where  they  are  judiciously  to  examine  whether  the  freemen  in 
this  county  labor  under  any  abuses  of  power  ;  and  in  particular  to 
examine  into  the  public  tax,  and  inform  themselves  of  every  parti- 
cular thereof,  by  what  laics,  and  for  what  use  it  is  laid,  in  order  to 
remove  some  jealousies  out  of  our  minds."  "  And  the  representa- 
tives, vestrymen,  and  other  officers,  are  requested  to  give  the  mem- 
bers what  information  and  satisfaction  they  can,  so  far  as  they 
value  the  good  will  of  every  honest  freeholder,  and  the  executing 
public  offices  pleasant  and  delightsome." 

On  the  appointed  day,  the  10th  of  October,  1766,  the  delegates 
assembled ;  after  some  time,  James  Watson,  a  friend  of  Col.  Fan- 
ning, the  most  odious  officer  in  the  county,  came,  and  as  a  reason 
for  his  not  appearing  to  give  account  a?  their  representative,  read 
a  message  from  Fanning,  that,  "  It  had  been  his  intention  of  at- 
tending them  till  a  few  days  ago,  when  he  observed  in  the  notice 
from  Deep  River,  the  word  judiciously,  which  signified  the  author- 
ity of  a  court ;  and  that  he  considered  the  meeting  an  insurrection." 
The  meeting  had  full  and  free  discussion  on  a  variety  of  topics  ; 
and  finally  resolved  that  such  meetings  as  the  present  were  neces- 
sary, annually,  or  oftener,  to  hear  from  their  representatives  and 
officers,  in  order  to  have  the  benefits  of  their  constitution  and  the 
choice  of  their  rulers  ;  and  that  as  their  representatives,  sheriffs, 
vestry  and  other  officers  had  not  met  them  here,  with  but  one 
exception,  they  should  have  another  opportunity  of  conferring  with 
their  constituents.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  what  fairer  mode 
of  ascertaining  the  truth  could  be  devised  by  men  situated  as  they 
were,  without  a  printing  press  and  without  newspapers.  Such 
proceedings  might,  in  the  colonial  days,  be  rebellion  to  be  put 
down  ;  in  these  days  of  liberty,  a  man  would  lose  his  hold  on  the 
community  were  he  to  refuse  compliance  with  such  commands 
from  his  constituents,  or  the  community  at  large. 

In  April,  1767,  another  meeting  was  held  at  the  same  place, 
Maddock's  Mills,  and  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions  were 
discussed  and  adopted,  by  which  these  men  passed  the  Rubicon  ; 
and  from  being  called  a  mob,  or  insurgents,  were  known  by  the 
name  of  Regulators,  or  The  Regulation,  and  were  considered 
as  having  some  continued  existence  : 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED     IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  53 

"  We,  the  subscribers,  do  voluntarily  agree  to  form  ourselves 
into  an  association,  to  assemble  ourselves  for  conference  for  regu- 
lating public  grievances  and  abuses  of  power,  in  the  following 
particulars,  with  others  of  the  like  nature  that  may  occur,  viz.  : 

"  1st.  That  we  will  pay  no  more  taxes  until  we  are  satisfied  they 
are  agreeable  to  law,  and  applied  to  the  purposes  therein  mention- 
ed, unless  we  cannot  help  it,  or  are  forced. 

"  2d.  That  we  will  pay  no  officer  anymore  fees  than  the  law  al- 
lows, and  unless  we  are  obliged  to  it ;  and  then  to  show  our  dis- 
like, and  bear  an  open  testimony  against  it. 

"  3d.  That  we  will  attend  our  meetings  of  conference  as  often  as 
we  conveniently  can,  and  is  necessary  in  order  to  consult  our  re- 
presentatives on  the  amendment  of  such  laws  as  may  be  found 
grievous  or  unnecessary  ;  and  to  choose  more  suitable  men  than 
we  have  done  heretofore  for  burgesses  and  vestrymen  ;  and  to 
petition  the  houses  of  assembly,  governor,  council,  king,  and  par- 
liament, &c,  for  redress  in  such  grievances  as  in  the  course  of  the 
undertaking  may  occur  ;  and  to  inform  one  another,  learn,  know, 
and  enjoy  all  the  privileges  and  liberties  that  are  allowed,  and  were 
settled  on  us  by  our  worthy  ancestors,  the  founders  of  our  present 
constitution,  in  order  to  preserve  it  on  its  ancient  foundation,  that 
it  may  stand  firm  and  unshaken. 

"  4th.  That  we  will  contribute  to  collections  for  defraying  neces- 
sary expenses  attending  the  work,  according  to  our  abilities. 

"  5th.  That  in  case  of  difference  in  judgment,  we  will  submit  to 
the  judgment  of  the  majority  of  our  body. 

"  To  all  which  we  solemnly  swear,  or  being  a  Quaker,  or  other- 
wise scrupulous  in  conscience  of  the  common  oath,  do  solemnly 
affirm,  that  we  will  stand  true  and  faithful  to  this  cause,  till  we 
bring  things  to  a  true  regulation,  according  to  the  true  intent  and 
meaning  hereof,  in  the  judgment  of  a  majority  of  us." 

These  resolutions  were  drawn  up  by  Harmon  Husbands. 

A  subscription  was  set  on  foot,  and  fifty  pounds  were  collected 
for  the  purpose  of  defraying  the  expenses  of  such  suits  as  might 
arise  in  seeking  redress  of  their  grievances. 

During  this  year,  1767,  the  governor  commenced  his  palace  at 
Newbern,  for  which,  with  great  difficulty,  he  had  obtained  an  ap- 
propriation of  £5,000  by  the  last  legislature  ;  and  proceeded  in  a 
tasteful  and  expensive  style  of  building,  to  expend  the  whole  sum 
upon  the  foundation  and  a  small  part  of  the  superstructure.  At  the 
meeting  of  the  two  houses  in  December  of  this  year,  the  governor 
laid  before  them  the  condition  of  the  building.     The  legislature 


54  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

with  reluctance  gave,  as  the  only  alternative,  £10,000  more  to 
complete  the  palace.  When  finished  it  was  pronounced  the  most 
superb  building  in  the  United  Provinces.  The  governor  was  grati- 
fied, and  the  people  incensed.  The  taxes  had  been  burdensome — 
the  palace  rendered  them  intolerable. 

On  the  21st  of  May,  1768,  the  Regulators  had  another  meeting, 
and  determined  to  petition  the  governor  direct,  and  prepared  their 
address  ;  which,  with  a  copy  of  their  proceedings  at  this  and  the 
previous  meetings,  was  sent  to  His  Excellency,  by  James  Hunter 
and  Rednap  Howell.  In  the  month  of  June,  these  gentlemen 
waited  upon  the  governor  at  Brunswick  ;  and  in  reply  to  their  peti- 
tion, received  a  written  document  from  which  the  following  extracts 
are  made  : 

"  The  grievances  complained  of  by  no  means  warrant  the  ex- 
traordinary steps  you  have  taken  :  in  consideration  of  a  determina- 
tion to  abide  by  my  decision  in  council,  it  is  my  direction,  by  the 
unanimous  advice  of  that  board,  that  you  do,  from  henceforward, 
desist  from  any  further  meetings,  either  by  verbal  appointments  or 
advertisement.  That  all  titles  of  Regulators  or  Associators  cease 
among  you.  As  you  want  to  be  satisfied  what  is  the  amount  of 
the  tax  for  the  public  service  for  1767,  I  am  to  inform  you,  it  is 
seven  shillings  a  taxable,  besides  the  county  and  parish  taxes,  the 
particulars  of  which  I  will  give  to  Mr.  Hunter.  I  have  only  to 
add,  I  shall  be  up  at  Hillsborough  the  beginning  of  next  month." 

In  all  these  public  and  documentary  proceedings  of  the  Regula- 
tors, we  see  nothing  to  blame,  and  much  to  admire.  On  these 
principles,  and  to  this  extent  of  opposition,  the  whole  western 
counties  were  agreed.  The  most  sober  and  sedate  in  the  com- 
munity were  united  in  resisting  the  tyranny  of  unjust  and  exorbi- 
tant taxes  ;  and  had  been  aroused  to  a  degree  of  violence  and  op- 
position difficult  to  manage  and  hard  to  quell.  And  the  more 
restless  and  turbulent  and  unprincipled  parts  of  society,  equally 
aggrieved,  and  more  ungovernable,  cast  themselves  in  as  a 
part  of  the  resisting  mass  of  population,  with  little  to  gain,  but 
greater  license  for  their  unprincipled  passions,  and  little  to 
lose,  could  they  escape  confinement  and  personal  punishment. 
These  persons  were  guilty  of  lynching  the  sheriffs,  that  is,  seizing 
those  they  found  in  the  exercise  of  their  office,  tying  them  to  a 
black-jack,  or  other  small  trees,  beating  them  severely  with  rods, 
laughing  and  shouting  to  see  their  contortions  ;  they  would  rescue 
property  which  had  been  seized  for  taxes,  often  with  great  vio- 
lence ;  and  on  one  occasion,  in  April,  1768,  proceeded  to  fire  a  few 
shots  upon  the  house  of  Edmund  Fanning  in  Hillsborough.    These 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED     IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  55 

unjustifiable  acts  were  charged  upon  the  party  ;  and  the  Regula- 
tors were  made  accountable  for  all  the  ill  that  wicked  men  chose  to 
perpetrate  under  the  name  of  struggling  for  liberty  ;  while  it  is 
well  known  that  the  leaders  of  this  oppressed  party  never  expressed 
a  desire  to  be  free  from  law  or  equitable  taxation.  The  gover- 
nor's palace,  double  and  treble  fees  and  taxes  without  reason,  drove 
the  sober  to  resistance,  and  the  passionate  and  unprincipled  to 
outrage.  But  there  were  cases  of  injustice  most  foul  and  crying 
that  might  palliate,  where  they  could  not  justify,  the  violence  that 
followed  ;  such  as  taking  advantage  of  the  quietness  of  the  Regu- 
lators to  seize  a  man's  horse  with  the  bridle  and  saddle,  and  selling 
them  for  four  or  five  dollars  to  an  officer,  to  pay  taxes  resisted  as 
illegal. 

The  sheriff  had  taken  advantage  of  a  peculiar  conjuncture  of 
events  to  seize  two  of  the  leading  men.  A  meeting  had  been 
agreed  upon  to  be  held  on  the  20th  of  May,  1768,  when  the 
sheriff  and  vestrymen  would  meet  a  deputation  from  the  Regula- 
tors, and  give  them  satisfaction.  Previous  to  that  day  a  messen- 
ger came  from  the  governor  with  a  proclamation  against  the  Regu- 
lation as  an  insurrection  ;  the  sheriff  immediately,  with  a  party  of 
thirty  horsemen,  rode  some  fifty  miles,  and  seizing  Harmon  Hus- 
bands and  William  Hunter,  confined  them  in  Hillsborough  jail. 
The  whole  country  arose,  and  making  an  old  Scotchman  of  some 
seventy  years  of  age,  Ninian  Bell  Hamilton,  their  leader,  marched 
towards  Hillsborough  to  the  rescue.  When  they  reached  the 
Eno,  they  found  the  prisoners  set  free,  with  this  condition  laid  upon 
them  among  others — "  nor  show  any  jealousies  of  the  officers 
taking  extraordinary  fees."  When  the  Regulators  reached  the 
Eno,  Fanning  went  down  to  meet  them  with  a  bottle  of  rum  in 
one  hand  and  of  wine  in  the  other,  and  called  for  a  horse  to  take 
him  over — "  ye're  nane  too  gude  to  wade,"  replied  the  old  Scotch- 
man. Fanning  waded  the  river,  but  no  one  would  partake  of  his 
refreshments,  or  listen  to  his  statements.  The  governor's  messen- 
ger, who  had  just  then  returned,  rode  up  to  them,  read  the  governor's 
message,  and  assured  them  that,  on  application  to  the  governor,  he 
would  redress  their  grievances  and  protect  them  from  extortion  and 
oppression  of  any  officer,  provided  they  would  disperse  and  go 
home.  The  whole  company  cried  out,  "  agreed  !  agreed  !"  and 
immediately  dispersed.  This  event  preceded  the  visit  made  by 
Hunter  and  Howell  to  the  governor. 

Early  in  July,  1768,  the  governor  arrived  in  Hillsborough,  and 
issuing  a  proclamation,  as  he  had  promised  Hunter  and  Howell, 


56  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

excited  the  expectations  of  the  country  that  some  redress  would  be 
granted.  But  sending  the  sheriff  to  collect  the  taxes,  and  with 
him  a  letter  addressed  to  the  people  of  a  similar  import  with  his 
proclamations  and  previous  letters,  these  fond  expectations  were  all 
broken,  and  the  eicited  people  drove  off  the  sheriff  with  threats 
of  his  life  if  he  persisted  in  his  efforts,  and  sent  a  reply  to  the  gov- 
ernor. On  a  false  alarm,  a  large  body  of  the  Regulators  assem- 
bled in  arms,  on  the  night  of  the  11th  of  August,  near  Hillsbo- 
rough. The  nearest  companies  of  militia  were  called  upon  ;  and 
a  large  body  assembled  to  defend  the  governor  from  injury  or 
insult.  The  better  part  of  the  community  were  averse  to  the  irregu- 
larities of  those  lawless  spirits  who,  attaching  themselves  to  the 
cause  of  liberty,  greatly  impeded  its  progress  ;  and  desired  to  go- 
vern themselves  and  persuade  their  neighbors,  by  reason,  to  gain 
the  justice  they  demanded.  Frequent  communications  passed  be- 
tween the  governor  and  the  leaders  of  the  Regulators  before  the 
session  of  the  superior  court,  Sept.  22d,  at  which  Husband  and 
Butler  were  to  be  tried  ;  and  the  demands  of  His  Excellency  always 
implied  absolute  submission  ;  while  the  Regulators  insisted  on 
protection.  On  the  day  of  trial,  between  three  and  four  thousand 
people  assembled  near  the  town,  but  no  violence  was  committed  ; 
the  court  proceeded ;  Husbands  was  acquitted  ;  Hunter  and  two 
others  were  found  guilty  of  riot,  fined  heavily  and  committed  to 
jail,  from  which  two  soon  found  the  means  of  escape,  and  all  soon 
received  the  pardon  of  the  governor.  A  number  of  indictments 
were  found  against  Fanning  ;  he  was  pronounced  guilty  on  all, 
and  fined  one  penny  each. 

After  this  display  of  justice,  the  governor  issued  a  proclamation 
of  a  general  pardon  to  all  who  had  been  engaged  in  the  late  riotous 
movements,  except  thirteen  individuals  designated  by  name. 
These  were  probably  esteemed  by  the  governor  as  principal  men 
among  the  Regulators  in  Orange  county,  and  their  names  are  pre- 
served, James  Hunter,  Ninian  Hamilton,  Peter  Craven,  Isaac 
Jackson,  Harmon  Husbands,  Matthew  Hamilton,  William  Payne, 
Ninian  Bell  Hamilton,  Malachy  Tyke,  William  Moffat,  Christo- 
pher Nation,  Solomon  Goff,  and  John  O'Neih  Supposing  the 
country  sufficiently  pacified,  the  governor  returned  to  his  palace, 
soon  to  find  that  the  people  were  neither  deceived  nor  dispirited. 

The  course  of  events  in  the  upper  country  flowed  on  in  a  dis- 
turbed channel,  during  the  remaining  part  of  the  year  1768,  the 
whole  of  1769  and  1770.  The  Regulators  held  their  meetings, 
often  in  an  excited,  but  never  in  a  dissipated  manner,  and  con- 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED     IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  57 

tinucd  to  throw  more  and  more  difficulties  in  the  way  of  the  sheriffs 
and  other  officers,  whose  exactions  increased  by  impunity.  All 
classes  felt  the  evil,  and  a  greater  number  than  formerly  de- 
termined on  resistance.  In  March,  1770,  Maurice  Moore  reported 
to  the  governor  from  Salisbury,  where  he  had  gone  to  hold  the 
superior  court, — "  that  the  sheriffs  of  the  several  counties  of  that 
district,  complained  heavily  of  the  opposition  made  to  them  in  the 
exercise  of  their  duties,  by  the  Regulators  ;  that  it  was  impossible 
to  collect  a  tax  or  levy  an  execution  ;  plain  proofs,  among  others, 
that  their  designs  have  even  extended  farther  than  to  promote  a 
public  inquiry  into  the  conduct  of  public  officers  :"  and  he  prayed 
that  it  might  not  be  found  necessary  to  redress  the  evil  "  by  means 
equal  to  the  obstinacy  of  the  people." 

On  the  records  of  the  superior  court  in  Hillsborough,  under 
date  of  Sept.  24th,  1770,  is  the  following  entry,  which  requires  no 
comment.  "  Several  persons  styling  themselves  Regulators, 
assembled  together  in  the  court-yard  under  the  conduct  of  Husbands, 
James  Hunter,  Rednap  Howell,  William  Butler,  Samuel  Divinny, 
and  many  others,  insulted  some  of  the  gentlemen  of  the  bar,  and 
in  a  riotous  manner  went  into  the  court-house,  and  forcibly  carried 
out  some  of  the  attorneys,  and  in  a  cruel  manner,  beat  t^hem. 
They  then  insisted  that  the  judge  (Richard  Henderson  being  the 
only  one  on  the  bench)  should  proceed  to  trial  of  their  leaders,  who 
had  been  indicted  at  a  former  court,  and  that  the  jury  should  be 
taken  out  of  their  party.  Therefore,  the  judge  finding  it  impossi- 
ble to  proceed  with  honor  to  himself  and  justice  to  his  country, 
adjourned  the  court  until  to-morrow  at  10  o'clock  ;  and  took  ad- 
vantage of  the  night  and  made  his  escape,  and  the  court  adjourned 
to  meet  in  course." 

The  next  entry  is  as  follows,  viz.  : 

"  March  term,  1771.  The  persons  styling  themselves  Regula- 
tors, under  the  conduct  of  Harmon  Husbands,  James  Hunter,  Red- 
nap  Howell,  William  Butler,  and  Samuel  Divinny,  still  continuing 
their  riotous  meetings,  and  severely  threatening  the  judges,  lawyers, 
and  other  officers  of  the  court,  prevented  any  of  the  judges  or 
lawyers  attending.  Therefore,  the  court  adjourned  till  the  next 
September  term."  So  it  appears  there  was  no  superior  court  in 
Orange  for  a  year  ;  and  in  Rowan  the  course  of  justice  was  greatly 
impeded. 

To  these  acts  of  rebellion,  unfortunately,  were  added  acts  of 
personal  violence  that  called  the  governor  from  his  palace,  with  his 
armed  force  to  revenge.     Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the 


'58  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

court,  a  lawyer,  Mr.  John  Williams,  on  his  way  to  the  court- 
house, was  met  by  a  number  of  individuals,  who  seized  and  beat 
him  severely  in  the  streets.  Edmund  Fanning,  the  person  most 
obnoxious  to  the  community,  was  seized  in  the  court-house, 
dragged  out  by  his  heels,  severely  beaten,  and  kept  in  confinement 
during  the  night.  In  the  morning,  when  it  was  discovered  there 
would  be  no  court,  he  was  beaten  again  ;  his  fine  house,  which 
occupied  the  site  of  the  present  Masonic  Hall,  was  torn  down,  and 
his  elegant  furniture  destroyed.  While  the  buildings  on  the  pre- 
mises were  falling  under  the  hands  of  the  Regulators,  a  bell, 
which  had  been  procured  for  the  Episcopal  church,  and  deposited 
with  Fanning  for  safe  keeping,  was  discovered.  The  cry  was 
raised,  "  it's  a  spice  mortar ;"  and  in  a  twinkling,  Fanning' s  spice 
mortar  was  scattered  in  fragments. 

The  excited  multitude  then  proceeded  to  the  court-house  ;  ap- 
pointed a  man  by  the  name  of  Yorke  as  clerk ;  set  up  a  mock 
judge  ;  called  over  the  cases  ;  directed  Fanning  to  plead  law  ; 
and  pronounced  judgment  in  mock  gravity  and  ridicule  of  the 
court,  and  law,  and  officers,  by  whom  they  felt  themselves 
aggrieved.  Henderson  informed  the  governor,  and  urged  his 
special  attendance,  and  proposed  the  calling  of  the  Assembly. 
Soon  after,  the  house,  barn,  and  out-buildings  of  the  judge,  were 
burned  to  the  ground. 

The  governor  postponed  the  calling  of  the  legislature  till  the 
usual  time  ;  and  received  them  in  the  palace,  which  had  just  been 
completed,  amidst  the  confusion  of  the  upper  country,  so  greatly 
aggravated  by  its  erection.  Vigorous  measures  were  proposed  to 
restore  peace  to  the  upper  country  ;  four  new  counties  were  set  off 
— Guilford,  Chatham,  Surry,  and  Wake.  With  the  hopes  of  divid- 
ing the  attention  of  the  people,  a  proclamation  was  issued  forbid- 
ding merchants,  traders,  or  others,  to  supply  any  person  with  pow- 
der and  shot,  or  lead,  till  further  notice  ;  and  finally  it  was  deter- 
mined to  proceed  to  extremities,  and  on  the  19th  March,  1771,  the 
governor  issued  his  circular  to  the  colonels  and  commanding  offi- 
cers of  the  regiments,  stating  the  grievances  the  government  was 
suffering  ;  he  adds — "  You  are  to  take  fifty  volunteers  from  your 
regiment,  to  form  one  company,"  &c,  offering,  at  the  same  time, 
liberal  rations,  bounty  and  pay.  No  little  difficulty  was  found  in 
collecting  the  necessary  forces,  from  the  great  unwillingness  of  the 
militia  to  march  against  men,  in  whose  doings  there  was  so  much 
to  justify,  and  so  little  to  condemn  and  punish. 

On  the  9th  of  May,  after  many  delays,  he  was  encamped,  as 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED     IN    THE    REVOLUTION.  59 

we  have  said,  on  the  banks  of  the  Eno,  near  Hillsborough. 
General  Hugh  Waddcl  had  been  directed  to  march  with  the  forces 
of  Bladen  and  Cumberland,  and  to  rendezvous  in  Salisbury,  and 
collect  the  forces  from  the  western  counties,  and  join  the  governor 
in  Orange,  now  Guilford.  While  he  was  encamped  at  Salisbury, 
waiting  for  the  arrival  of  ammunition  from  Charleston,  the  exploit 
known  in  tradition  as  the  Black  Boys  was  performed  by  a  company 
of  men  in  Cabarrus  county,  who,  lying  in  wait  in  disguise,  with 
blackened  faces,  intercepted  the  convoy  of  ammunition  between 
Charlotte  and  Salisbury,  routed  the  guard,  blew  up  the  powder, 
and  escaped  unhurt. 

Having  crossed  the  Yadkin,  Waddel  found  a  large  company  of 
Regulators  assembled  to  prevent  his  advance  ;  his  own  men  were 
many  of  them  averse  to  violence,  and  others  strongly  in  favor  of 
the  insurgents,  and  were  falling  away  from  his  ranks.  Upon 
receiving  threats  of  violence  if  he  continued  to  advance,  in  a 
council  of  officers,  he  determined  to  retreat  across  the  Yadkin. 

"  General  Waddel's  Camp,  > 

"Potts'  Creek,  10th  May,  1771.  $ 

"  By  a  Council  of  Officers  of  the  Western  Detachment : — 

"  Considering  the  great  superiority  of  the  insurgents  in  number, 
and  the  resolution  of  a  great  part  of  their  own  men  not  to  fight, 
it  was  resolved  that  they  should  retreat  across  the  Yadkin. 
"  William  Lindsay,  Griffith  Rutherford, 

Ad'  Alexander,  Saml.  Spencer, 

Thos.  Necl,  Robert  Harris, 

Fr.  Ross,  Saml.  Snead, 

Robt.  Schaw,  Wm.  Luckie. 

"May  11th,  Captain  Alexander  made  oath  before  Griffith 
Rutherford,  that  he  had  passed  along  the  lines  of  the  Regulators 
in  arms,  drawn  up  on  ground  he  was  acquainted  with.  The  foot 
appeared  to  him  to  extend  a  quarter  of  a  mile,  seven  or  eight  deep, 
and  the  horse  to  extend  one  hundred  and  twenty  yards,  twelve  or 
fourteen  deep." 

On  Waddel's  retreat  the  Regulators  pressed  on  him,  and  many 
of  his  men  deserting,  he  reached  Salisbury  with  a  greatly  dimi- 
nished force,  and  immediately  despatched  a  messenger  to  Tryon 
to  warn  him  of  the  common  danger.  The  governor,  already 
alarmed  at  the  reports  that  came  in,  of  forces  gathering  on  the 
Alamance,  on  the  route  to  Salisbury,  raised  his  camp  immediately, 


60  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  on  the  13th  of  May  crossed  Haw  River;  and  on  the  evening 
of  the  14th,  encamped  within  six  miles  of  the  Regulators,  on  the 
Alamance.  On  the  15th,  the  Regulators  sent  a  message  to  the 
governor  making  propositions  of  accommodation,  and  asking  an 
answer  in  four  hours.  He  promised  them  one  by  noon  the  next 
day.  In  the  evening,  Captain  Ashe  and  Captain  John  Walker 
being  caught  out  of  camp,  by  the  Regulators,  were  tied  to  trees, 
severely  whipped,  and  made  prisoners.  On  this,  as  on  the  preced- 
ing night,  one-third  of  the  forces  was  under  arms  all  night.  On 
the  16th,  Tryon  began  his  march  at  daybreak,  and  moved  on 
silently  within  half  a  mile  of  the  insurgents,  and  there  proceeded 
to  form  his  line,  the  discharge  of  two  cannon  being  the  signal. 
Here  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  who,  at  the  solicitations  of  his  parish- 
ioners and  acquaintances,  some  of  whom  were  with  the  Regulators, 
had  visited  Tryon's  camp  on  the  15th,  in  company  with  Alexander 
Martin,  afterwards  governor  of  the  State,  to  persuade  the  gover- 
nor to  mild  measures,  again  visited  the  camp,  and  it  is  said 
obtained  a  promise  from  the  governor  that  he  would  not  fire  until 
he  had  tried  negotiation.  Tryon  sent  in  his  reply  to  the  Regu- 
lators, demanding  unconditional  submission,  and  gave  an  hour  for 
consideration  :  they  heard  with  great  impatience  a  first  and  second 
reading.  Both  parties  advanced  to  within  about  three  hundred 
yards  of  each  other ;  Tryon  sent  a  magistrate  to  the  insurgents  with 
a  proclamation  to  disperse  within  an  hour,  and  also  commenced  a 
negotiation  for  an  exchange  of  Captains  Ashe  and  Walker. 
Robert  Thompson,  who  had  with  some  others  come  into  the  camp 
to  negotiate  with  the  governor,  was  detained  as  a  prisoner,  and  at- 
tempting to  leave  camp  without  liberty,  the  governor  seized  a  gun 
and  shot  him  dead  with  his  own  hand.  A  flag  of  truce  sent  out  by 
him  was  immediately  fired  on  by  the  excited  people,  many  of  whom 
were  near  enough  to  witness  the  circumstances  of  Thompson's 
death.  The  parties  had  gradually  been  drawing  nearer  and  nearer 
to  each  other,  the  insurgents  somewhat  irregularly,  till  their  lines 
in  places  almost  met.  The  governor  gave  the  word  "^re,"  his 
men  hesitated,  and  the  Regulators,  many  of  them  with  rude  antics, 
dared  them  to  "  fire."  "  Fire  !  "  cried  the  governor,  rising  in  his 
stirrups  ;  "  fire  !  on  them  or  on  me  !"  and  the  action  began. 
The  cannon  were  discharged,  and  the  military  commenced  firing 
by  platoons  ;  the  Regulators  in  an  irregular  manner  from  behind 
trees.  Some  stout  young  men  of  the  Regulators  rushed  forward 
and  seized  the  cannon  of  the  governor,  but  not  knowing  how  to 
use  them,  speedily  gave  them  up  and  retreated.     A  flag  of  truce 


FIRST  BLOOD  SHED  IN  THE  REVOLUTION.  61 

was  sent  out  by  the  governor  to  stop  the  battle  ;  an  old  Scotch- 
man cried  out  to  the  Regulators,  "  it's  a  flag,  don't  fire ;"  but 
almost  immediately  three  or  four  rifles  were  discharged,  and  the 
flag  fell.  The  firing  was  renewed  with  fresh  vigor  by  the  military, 
and  the  Regulators  in  the  general  fled,  leaving  a  few  posted  behind 
trees,  who  continued  their  fatal  aim  till  their  ammunition  was 
exhausted,  or  they  were  in  danger  of  being  surrounded. 

Some  of  the  Regulators  had  wished  and  expected  to  fight ;  but 
the  greater  part  that  had  assembled  expected  that  the  governor, 
seeing  their  numbers,  would  parley  with  them,  and  ultimately 
grant  their  demands.  Rev.  Mr.  Caldwell,  just  from  Tryon's  camp, 
was  riding  along  the  lines  urging  the  men  to  go  home  without  vio- 
lence, when  the  command  to  fire  was  given,  and  with  difficulty 
escaped  from  the  conflict. 

They  had  no  commander  to  regulate  their  motions,  they  had 
none  with  them  used  to  camps  and  wars  to  give  them  advice  ; 
there  had  of  late  been  no  expeditions  against  the  savages,  and  the 
military  life,  further  than  to  shoot  a  rifle  and  live  on  short  rations, 
was  all  new.  "  O,"  said  an  old  man,  who  was  in  the  battle,  to  Mr. 
Caruthers,  "  0,  if  John  and  Daniel  Gillespie  had  only  known  as 
much  about  military  discipline  then  as  they  knew  a  few  years  after 
that,  the  bloody  Tryon  would  never  have  slept  in  his  palace  again  !" 
Many  that  were  defeated  in  that  bloodshed,  in  a  few  years  showed 
Cornwallis  they  had  learned  to  fight  better  than  in  the  day  of 
Tryon's  victory  on  the  Alamance.  It  is  the  unvarying  tradition 
among  the  people  of  the  country,  that  the  Regulators  had  but 
little  ammunition,  and  did  not  flee  till  it  was  all  expended. 

Nine  of  *the  Regulators,  and  twenty-seven  of  the  militia  were 
left  dead  on  the  field  ;  a  great  number  were  wounded  on  both 
sides  in  this  skirmish,  or  battle — in  this  first  blood  shed  for  the 
enjoyment  of  liberty.  We  cannot  but  admire  the  principles  that 
led  to  the  result,  how  much  soever  we  may  deplore  the  excesses 
that  preceded,  and  the  bloodshed  itself. 

The  excesses  of  the  Regulators  had  been  great,  as  has  been 
recorded,  but  the  barbarities  of  the  governor  upon  his  prisoners, 
after  his  victory,  make  these  lamented  deeds  dwindle  into  harmless 
sport.  On  the  evening  of  the  battle,  he  proceeded  to  hang,  without 
trial  or  form,  James  Few  (whom  he  had  taken  prisoner),  a  young 
man,  a  carpenter,  that  owned  a  little  spot  of  land  near  Hillsborough, 
where  Mr.  Kirkham's  house  now  stands,  of  quiet  and  industrious 
habits,  goaded  on  to  rebellion  by  the  exactions  of  Fanning  ;  and  at 
last,  driven  to  madness  by  the  dishonor  done  by  that  man  to  hi  ■ 


62  SKETCHES  OP  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

intended  bride,  lie  joined  the  Regulators,  and  proclaimed  himself 
"  sent  by  heaven  to  release  the  world  of  oppression,  and  to  begin 
in  Carolina.'1''  And  not  content  with  this,  the  governor's  ven- 
geance followed  his  aged  parents,  and  having  executed  their  son, 
Tryon  proceeded  to  destroy  the  little  provision  made  for  their 
helplessness  and  age. 

Captain  Messer  was  condemned  to  be  hung  the  next  day.     His 
wife,  hearing  of  his  captivity  and  intended  fate,  came  with  her  oldest 
child,  a  lad  of  about  ten  years,  to  visit  and  intercede  for  her  husband. 
Her  kindness  comforted  but  could  not  redeem  her  husband,  the 
father  of  her  children  ;  the  governor  was  inflexible.    While  the  pre- 
parations were  making  for  the  execution,  she  lay  upon  the  ground 
weeping,  her  face  covered  with  her  hands,  and  the  weeping  boy 
by  her  side.     When  the  fatal  moment,  as  he  supposed,  had  arrived, 
the  boy,  stepping  up  to  Tryon,  says  :  "  Sir,  hang  me  and  let  my 
father  live  !"     "  Who  told  you  to  say  that  ?"  said  the  governor. 
"  Nobody  !"  replied  the  lad.     "  And  why,"  said  the  governor,  "  do 
you  ask  that  ?"     "  Because,"  said  the  boy,   "  if  you  hang  my 
father  my  mother  will  die,  and  the  children  will  perish."     "  Well !" 
said  the  governor,  deeply  moved  by  the  earnestness  and  affecting 
simplicity  of  the  lad,  "  your  father  shall  not  be  hung  to-day."     On 
suggestion  of  Fanning,  Messer  was  offered  his  liberty  on  condi-* 
tion  that  he  would  bring  in  Harmon  Husbands,  his  wife  and  child 
being  kept  as  hostages.     After  an  absence  of  some  days  he  re- 
turned, saying  he  had  overtaken  him  in  Virginia,  but  could  not 
bring  him  back  ;  he  wa*s  put  in  chains  and  taken  along  as  prisoner. 
After  resting  a  few  days  on  Sandy  River,  the  governor  passed 
on  as  far  as  the  Yadkin,  and  having  issued  a  proclamation,  that  all 
those  who  had  been  engaged  in  these  disturbances,  excepting  the 
prisoners  in  camp,  the  company  called  the  Black  Boys,  and  sixteen 
others,  that  should  come  into  camp,  lay  down  their  arms,  and  take 
the  oath  of  allegiance  before  the  10th  of  July,  should  receive  a 
free  pardon  :  and  having  sent  General  Waddel  with  a  company  of 
twenty-five  light  horse,  one  field-piece,  and  a  respectable  corps  of 
militia  to  visit  the  counties   to  the  west  and  south,  and  return 
home,  himself  took  a  circuit  round  through  Stokes,  Rockingham, 
Guilford  to  Hillsborough.     In  all  his  circuit,  after  the  bloodshed, 
he  exhibited  his  prisoners  in  chains,  particularly  in  the  villages  he 
passed.     He  exacted  the  oath  of  allegiance  from  all  the  inhabitants 
that  could  be  found ;    levied  contributions  of  provisions  with  a 
lavish  hand,  upon  the   suspected  and  the  absent ;  he  seized  one 
Johnson,  who  was  reported  to  have  spoken  disrespectfully  of  Lady 


FIRST    BLOOD    SHED    IN     THE    REVOLUTION.  63 

Wake,  from  whom  one  of  the  counties  lately  forcibly  set  off  had 
been  called,  a  beautiful  and  accomplished  lady ;  and  for  his  want 
of  gallantry  to  this  sister  of  the  governor's  wife,  condemned  him 
to  five  hundred  lashes  on  his  bare  back,  two  hundred  and  fifty  of 
which  were  inflicted  ;  and  offered  a  reward  of  a  thousand  acres  of 
land,  and  one  hundred  pounds  in  money,  for  Harmon  Husbands, 
James  Butler,  Rednap  Howell,  and  others  of  the  Regulators  ;  and 
filled  his  measure  of  tyrannical  glory  by  burning  houses,  destroy- 
ing crops,  and  holding  courts-martial  for  civil  crimes.  On 
reaching  Hillsborough,  he  held  a  special  court  for  the  trial  of  his 
prisoners,  twelve  of  whom  were  condemned  to  death  on  his  urgent 
statements,  and  six  were  actually  executed.  The  real  leaders  had 
all  escaped,  but  a  sacrifice  must  be  made  ;  the  court  hesitated  and 
delayed ;  he  sent  his  aide-de-camp  to  chide  and  threaten  their 
delay ;  the  soldier  and  governor  were  lost  in  the  tyrant  and  the 
savage. 

On  the  19th  of  June,  six  prisoners  were  publicly  executed  near 
Hillsborough,  of  whom  the  unfortunate  Messer  was  one,  reprieved 
a  few  days  by  the  spirit  of  his  child,  only  to  be  carried  about  in 
chains,  and  hung  ignominiously  at  last.  The  governor,  in  person, 
gave  orders  for  the  parade  at  the  execution,  and,  as  Maurice  Moore 
said,  "left  a  ridiculous  idea  of  his  character  behind,  bearing  a 
strong  resemblance  to  that  of  an  undertaker  at  a  funeral." 

Robert  Mateer,  one  of  the  victims,  was  a  quiet,  inoffensive, 
upright  man,  who  had  never  joined  the  Regulators.  On  the 
morning  of  the  bloodshed  he  visited  Tryon's  camp  with  Robert 
Thompson,  and  was  detained  with  him  a  prisoner ;  being  recog- 
nized as  the  person  who  had,  some  time  before,  grievously  offended 
the  governor  in  the  matter  of  a  letter  entrusted  to  his  care,  he  was 
condemned,  and  made  one  of  the  six  that  were  executed ;  beloved 
while  living,  and  lamented  when  dead. 

Captain  Merrill,  from  the  Jersey  Settlement,  or,  as  others  say, 
from  Mecklenburg  county,  was  on  his  way  to  join  the  Regu- 
lators— probably  had  been  engaged  in  intercepting  Waddel — with 
three  hundred  men  under  his  command.  Hearing  of  the  defeat 
and  dispersion  of  the  Regulators  on  the  Alamance,  when  within  a 
day's  march,  his  men  dispersed,  and  he  returned  home,  but  was 
afterwards  taken  prisoner,  and  was  made  one  of  the  six  that  were 
executed.  A  pious  man,  he  professed  his  faith  in  the  Lord  Jesus 
Christ,  and  declared  himself  ready  to  die,  and  died  like  a  soldier 
and  a  Christian,  singing  very  devoutly,  with  his  dying  breath,  a 


64  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Psalm  of  David,  like  the  Covenanters  in  the  Grass  Market  in 
Edinburgh. 

James  Pugh,  an  ingenious  gunsmith,  had,  during  the  firing  at 
Alamance,  killed  with  his  rifle  some  fifteen  of  those  who  served 
the  cannon,  and  delaying  his  escape  too  long  was  taken  prisoner, 
and  made  one  for  this  day's  sacrifice.  When  placed  under  the 
gallows  he  asked  and  obtained  leave  from  the  governor  to  address 
the  people  for  half  an  hour.  He  justified  his  course,  professed  his 
readiness  to  meet  God,  inveighed  against  the  oppression  of  the 
public  officers,  and  particularly  against  Fanning.  This  dastardly 
man,  unable  to  bear  the  reproaches  of  his  victim,  made  the  sug- 
gestion, and  the  barrel,  on  which  the  prisoner  stood,  was  over- 
turned, and  the  )'Oung  man  launched  into  eternity,  his  speech 
unfinished  and  his  half  hour  unexpired. 

These  men  may  have  been  rash,  but  they  were  not  cowards  : 
they  may  have  been  imprudent,  but  they  were  suffering  under 
wrong  and  outrage,  and  the  withholding  justice,  and  the  proper 
exercise  of  law.  "And  if  oppression  will  make  a  wise  man  mad," 
the  ten  years  of  such  oppression  as  these  suffered,  would  have 
proved  them  fit  for  subjection  had  they  been  submissive. 

Tryon  returned  to  his  costly  palace  in  Newbern,  only  to  bid  it 
farewell,  and  make  room  for  Josiah  Martin,  who  knew  better  how 
to  appreciate  these  people  and  their  complaints.  Edmund  Fan- 
ning, the  cause  of  so  much  trouble,  gathered  a  company  and  met  the 
governor  on  his  first  approach  to  Orange  ;  went  with  him  to  Ala- 
mance, and  as  the  firing  commenced,  found  it  indispensable  to  take 
his  post  many  miles  in  the  rear,  whether  through  fear  of  his  life, 
or  of  shedding  the  Regulators'  blood.  Harmon  Husbands,  also,  on 
the  other  side,  rode  faster  and  farther  on  that  day.  He  had  been 
active  for  years  in  exciting  the  people  to  resistance,  making 
speeches,  circulating  information,  drawing  up  memorials  and 
papers  of  a  political  cast,  and  taking  the  lead  in  measures  that 
brought  on  the  bloodshed  in  Alamance.  He  had  been  once  put  in 
prison  while  a  member  of  the  legislature,  for  his  principles  and 
connection  with  the  disturbances  in  Orange  ;  but  when  the  cannon 
began  to  roar  at  Tryon's  command,  on  the  16th  of  May,  on  the 
Alamance,  he  mounted  his  horse  and  rode  rapidly  away  to  the  more 
quiet  State  of  Pennsylvania,  and  was  not  seen  again  in  Carolina 
till  after  the  Revolution — professing  that  his  principles  as  a  Quaker 
forbade  him  to  fight,  though  they  impelled  him  to  resistance.  When 
the  time  of  trial  came,  that  men  must  submit  or  flee,  or  bleed,  he 
escaped,  while  others  poured  out  their  blood.     He  and  all  like  him 


FIRST   BLOOD    SHED    IN   THE    REVOLUTION.  65 

are  passed  over  in  the  inquiries  we  make  about  the  people  who 
bore  the  burthen  of  the  Revolution  and  its  previous  struggles. 

The  question  now  arises,  who  were  these  people  ? — and  whence 
did  they  come  ?  They  could  discuss  the  rights  and  privi- 
leges of  men ;  they  could  write  in  a  manner  that  has  been  pro- 
nounced "  the  style  of  the  Revolution  ;"  and  they  were  men  that 
feared  an  oath.  The  oath  of  allegiance  exacted  by  Try  on,  from 
multitudes,  as  the  condition  of  their  lives  and  property,  hung  on 
their  consciences  through  life,  and  no  reasoning  could  convincf 
them  they  were  free  from  its  awful  sanctions,  though  the  king 
could  afford  them  no  protection.  One  of  these,  who  was  in  the 
bloodshed  of  Alamance,  and  afterwards  had  borne  arms  for  the 
king,  as  he  considered  himself  bound  to  do,  said  sorrowfully  at 
the  close  of  the  Revolution — "  I  have  fought  for  my  country,  and 
fought  for  my  king  ;  and  have  been  whipped  both  times."  Still 
his  oath  bound  his  conscience,  while  he  rejoiced  it  did  not  reach 
his  children. 

The  descendants  of  these  people,  who  were  at  the  time  treated 
as  rebels,  and  stigmatized  in  government  papers  as  ignorant  and 
headstrong  and  unprincipled,  hold  the  first  rank  in  their  own  coun- 
try for  probity  and  intelligence  ;  have  held  the  first  offices  in  their 
own  and  the  two  younger  and  neighboring  States  ;  and  have  not 
been  debarred  the  highest  offices  in  the  Union. 

In  less  than  four  years  from  this  period,  those  who  were  not 
crushed  by  the  solemnities  of  the  oath  Tryon  forced  on  them, 
united  with  their  brethren  of  Mecklenburg  of  the  same  stock,  and 
kindred  faith,  in  maintaining  the  first  declaration  of  independence 
made  in  North  America — a  declaration  sealed  with  blood  in  North 
Carolina,  but  never,  like  the  Regulation,  put  down.  The  princi- 
ples of  the  Regulators  never  were  put  down ;  and  in  the  contest 
with  the  governor,  there  is  little  doubt  on  which  side  the  victory 
would  have  declared  itself  had  there  been  a  military  man  at  the 
head  of  the  undisciplined  people,  or  had  they  been  fully  convinced 
the  governor  would  fire  upon  them.  Repeatedly  had  these  men 
gathered  at  Hillsborough,  and  dispersed  without  violence,  on  pro- 
mise of  redress  ;  and  Waddel  had  been  met  and  turned  back  with- 
out bloodshed  a  few  days  before.  The  greater  part  expected 
some  terms  of  reconciliation,  while  some  wished  for  the  contest, 
and  many  were  ready  to  fight. 

The  address  sent  in  to  Tryon  the  day  before  the  bloodshed,  in 
which  they  promised  to  disperse  and  go  home  if  he  would  redress 
their  grievances,   shows  they  were  not  expecting  the  governor 

5 


66  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

would  proceed  to  violence.  The  feelings  of  a  great  part  of  the 
western  counties  were  united  in  the  object  of  their  efforts  ;  and 
many  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  seaboard  were  on  their  side.  The 
militia  of  Duplin  refused  to  march  against  them,  with  the  exception 
of  a  company  of  light  horse  under  Capt.  Bullock,  and  also  refused 
the  oath  of  allegiance  the  governor  offered  them  on  his  return.  In 
Halifax  there  were  many  supporters  of  their  principles  ;  in  New- 
bern  itself  many,  in  fact,  the  majority  of  the  militia  assembled,  de- 
clared in  their  favor.  Not  a  few  men  of  eminence  favored  them 
more  or  less  openly,  advocating  the  principles,  but  greatly  disap- 
proving the  excesses  of  the  violent.  Of  these  were  such  men  as 
Maurice  Moore,  judge  of  the  Superior  Court ;  Thomas  Person,  the 
founder  of  Person  Hall,  at  Chapel  Hill ;  and  Alexander  Martin, 
afterwards  governor  of  the  State. 

Martin,  the  historian,  who  appears  to  know  so  little  about  the 
principles  and  habits  of  the  persons  engaged,  says  that  there  were 
"  several  thousand  families"  scattered  through  the  upper  counties  : 
and  so  there  were — and  these  gathered  into  congregations  of  reli- 
gious worshippers  all  along  from  the  Virginia  to  the  South  Carolina 
line.  It  is  the  origin  of  these  that  is  now  inquired  after  ;  and  the 
nature  of  their  religion,  so  favorable  to  mental  exercise  and  improve- 
ment, to  civil  freedom  and  the  rights  of  man,  that  is  to  be  deline- 
ated,— a  religion  the  same  now  as  in  the  days  of  the  American 
Revolution, — and  the  great  English  Revolution  of  1688, — and  the 
same  in  spirit  and  substantial  forms  as  when  the  great  Apostle 
plead  his  cause,  in  chains,  at  Rome. 

There  has  been  as  yet  no  monument  erected  to  the  memory  of 
those  who  fell  on  the  Alamance,  in  this  first  bloodshed  in  the  cause 
of  oppressed  freemen  seeking  their  rights  :  they  sleep  in  unhonored 
graves,  as  also  do  those  who  were  publicly  executed  in  the  same 
glorious  cause  near  Hillsborough,  June  19th,  1771.  But  you  can 
find  the  battle  ground  and  graves  of  the  slain,  on  the  old  road  from 
Hillsborough  to  Salisbury  by  Martinville,  or  Guilford  old  court- 
house. It  is  a  locality  to  be  remembered,  for  the  event  must 
always  fill  an  honorable  page  in  any  full  and  fair  history  of  North 
Carolina,  or  of  the  United  States,  as  the  first  resistance  to  blood, 
in  which  resistance  was  determined  upon,  even  should  resistance 
end  in  wounds  and  death. 

The  Regulators  may  have  been  rude,  they  certainly  were  un- 
polished ;  but  they  were  not  ignorant,  neither  did  they  lack  intelli- 
gence, nor  exhibit  as  a  people  any  lack  of  religious  or  moral  princi- 
ple.    On  the  contrary,  their  estimation  of  an  oath  far  transcended 


FIRST   BLOOD   SHED   IN    THE   REVOLUTION.  67 

the  expectation  of  the  governor,  who  anticipated  much  from  a 
people  taught  by  McAden,  Caldwell,  Pattillo,  and  Craighead,  all 
eminent  in  their  vocation  as  gospel  ministers. 

Differing  from  the  governor  in  their  religious  principles  as  much 
as  in  their  political  creed,  they  were  condemned  by  the  king's  officers 
to  fines  and  plunder  and  confiscation  and  death,  and  by  the  ministers 
of  the  State  religion  to  endless  perdition.  There  is  extant  a  sermon 
preached  before  the  governor  at  Hillsborough,  on  Sunday,  the  25th 
of  September,  1768,  by  George  Micklejohn,  from  Romans,  chapter 
xiii.,  1st  and  2d  verses — in  which  the  preacher  avows  that  the 
governor  ought  to  have  executed  at  least  twenty  on  that  his  first 
visit ;  and  that  the  rebels  could  not  escape  the  damnation  of  hell 
on  account  of  their  resistance  to  the  existing  government.  But 
these  outraged  men  sought  deliverance  from  the  oppression  of 
man,  and  hoped  in  the  mercy  of  Almighty  God.  And  they  found 
from  heaven  what  was  denied  by  earth. 

The  succeeding  pages  will  give  a  collection  of  facts  that  shall 
present  the  history  of  principles  that  cannot  die,  and  are  always 
effective.  The  scene  of  action  and  the  actors  but  reflect  additional 
tints  of  beauty  on  what,  in  themselves,  are  immortal, — the  princi- 
ples of  true  government  and  undefiled  religion. 


68  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

CHAPTER  III. 

A   PAPER    ON    CIVIL   AND    RELIGIOUS   LIBERTY,   DRAWN    UP    IN    1775, 

"  She  has  seven  sons  in  the  rebel  army,"  was  the  reason  given 
by  the  British  officer  for  plundering  the  farm  and  burning  the  house 
of  Widow  Brevard,  in  Centre  Congregation,  while  Cornwallis  was 
in  pursuit  of  Morgan  and  Greene,  after  the  victory  of  the  Cowpens. 
What  a  mother  !  seven  sons  in  the  army  at  one  time  !  all  fighting 
for  the  independence  of  their  country  !  And  for  this  glorious  fact, 
the  house  of  the  widow  plundered  and  burned,  and  her  farm  pil- 
laged ! 

One  son,  Captain  Alexander  Brevard,  a  tall,  dignified  gentleman, 
independent  in  his  feelings  and  his  manners,  rendered  signal  ser- 
vices in  the  Continental  army.  He  took  part  in  nine  important 
battles — Brandywine,  Germantown,  Princeton,  Stony  Point,  Eu- 
taw,  Guilford,  Camden,  Ninety-Six,  and  Stono.  Of  all  these,  he 
used  to  say,  the  battle  of  the  Eutaw  was  the  sorest  conflict ;  in 
that  he  lost  twenty-one  of  his  men.  When  the  time  of  hard  service 
was  over,  he  returned  to  private  life,  and  never  sought  political  pro- 
motion ;  enjoying  that  liberty  for  which  he  had  fought,  and  serving  his 
generation  as  a  good  citizen,  and  the  church  as  an  elder,  respected 
and  beloved.  He  laid  his  bones  at  last  in  Lincoln  county,  the 
place  of  his  residence  for  many  years,  in  a  spot  selected  by  himself 
and  General  Graham.  They  served  as  soldiers  in  the  Revolution, 
and  lived  as  most  intimate  friends  :  having  married  sisters,  the 
daughters  of  Major  John  Davidson,  one  of  the  members  of  the 
Mecklenburg  Convention,  they  were  brothers  indeed ;  and  dying 
in  the  hope  of  a  blessed  resurrection,  they  sleep,  with  their  wives 
and  many  of  their  children,  in  their  chosen  place  of  sepulture. 
You  may  find  the  graves  of  these  honorable  dead  in  a  secluded 
place,  walled  in  with  rock,  about  a  hundred  paces  from  the  great  road 
leading  from  Beattie's  Ford  by  Brevard's  Furnace  to  Lincolnton, 
a  spot  where  piety  and  affection  and  patriotism  may  meet  and 
mingle  their  tears  ;  and  youth  may  gather  lessons  of  wisdom. 

The  youngest  son  of  this  widow,  afterwards  Judge  Brevard  of 
Camden,  South  Carolina,  was  first  lieutenant  of  a  company  of 
horse,  at  the  age  of  seventeen,  and  held,  through  life,  a  correspond- 
ing station  in  the  opinions  and  affections  of  his  fellow  men. 


PAPER    ON    CIVIL   AND   RELIGIOUS    LIBERTY.        .  69 

Ephraim  Brevard,  another  son  of  this  widow,  having  pursued  a 
course  of  classical  studies  in  his  native  congregation,  was  graduated 
at  Princeton  College ;  and  havingpursued  a  course  of  medical  studies, 
was  settled  in  Charlotte.  His  talents,  patriotism  and  education,  united 
with  his  prudence  and  practical  sense,  marked  him  as  a  leader  in 
the  councils,  that  preceded  the  convention,  held  in  Queen's  Mu- 
seum ;  and  on  the  day  of  meeting  designated  him  as  secretary  and 
draughtsman  of  that  singular  and  unrivalled  declaration,  which 
alone  is  a  passport  to  the  memory  of  posterity  through  all  time. 

Dr.  Brevard  took  an  active  part  in  the  establishment  and  man- 
agement of  the  literary  institution  in  Charlotte,  which  was,  to  all 
useful  purposes,  a  college,  though  refused  that  name  by  the  king 
and  council.  His  name  appears  upon  the  degree  given  John  Gra- 
ham in  1778,  which  is  carefully  preserved  at  Vesuvius  Furnace, 
the  only  degree  of  the  institution  now  known  to  be  in  existence.  For 
a  time  the  institution  was  under  his  instruction. 

When  the  British  forces  invaded  the  southern  States,  Dr.  Bre- 
vard entered  the  army  as  surgeon,  and  was  taken  prisoner  at  the 
surrender  of  Charleston,  May  12th,  1780.  The  sufferings  of  the 
captives  taken  in  that  surrendered  city,  moved  the  hearts  of  the 
brave  inhabitants  of  Western  Carolina,  and  in  the  tenderness  of 
the  female  bosom  found  alleviation.  News  was  circulated  among 
the  settlements  in  the  upper  country,  that  their  friends  and  relations 
were  dying  of  want  and  disease,  in  their  captivity.  The  men  could 
not  visit  them ;  it  would  be  leaping  into  the  lion's  den.  The  wives, 
the  mothers,  the  sisters,  the  daughters,  gathering  clothing  and  pro- 
visions and  medicine,  sought  through  long  journeys,  the  places  of 
confinement,  trusting  to  their  sex,  under  the  Providence  of  God, 
for  their  protection.  These  visits  of  mercy  saved  the  lives  of  mul-' 
titudes  ;  and  in  some  cases  were  purchased  by  the  lives  of  the  no- 
ble females  that  dared  to  undertake  them.  The  mother  of  Presi- 
dent Andrew  Jackson,  returning  to  the  Waxhaw,  from  a  visit  made  to 
the  prisoners,  having  been  the  bearer  of  medicine,  and  clothing,  and 
sympathy,  was  seized  with  a  fever  in  that  wide,  sandy  wilderness  of 
pines  that  intervened,  and  died  in  a  tent,  and  was  buried  by  the  road- 
side, and  lies  in  an  unknown  grave.  Multitudes  perished  and  found  a 
captive's  grave ;  and  multitudes  more  contracted  disease  whose 
wasting  influence  more  slowly,  yet  as  surely,  laid  them  low  among 
their  native  hills.  Of  these  was  Dr.  Brevard.  On  being  set  at 
liberty,  he  sought  the  residence  of  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  his 
friend  and  co-secretary,  for  rest  and  recovery.  The  air  of  that 
mild  climate,  and  the  aid  of  medicine,  and  the  watchful  care  of 


70  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

friends,  all  failed  to  restore  him.  Struggling  for  a  time  against  the 
disease,  with  hopes  of  recovery,  he  breathed  his  last,  about  the 
time  the  hostile  forces  trod  his  native  soil.  He  gave  "  life,  fortune, 
and  most  sacred  honor,"  in  his  country's  service.  The  first  was 
sacrificed ;  the  last  is  imperishable.  You  may  search  Hopewell 
graveyard  in  vain  for  a  trace  of  his  grave.  His  bones  have  moul- 
dered beneath  the  turf  that  covers  Davidson  and  the  Alexanders, 
but  no  stone  tells  where  they  are  laid.  No  man  living  can  lead 
the  inquirer  to  the  spot. 

There  is  a  paper  in  his  handwriting,  preserved  for  a  long  time 
in  the  family  of  his  friend  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  and  now  in 
the  possession  of  the  Governor  of  North  Carolina,  William  A. 
Graham,  which  is  as  remarkable  as  the  proceeding  of  the  Con- 
vention on  which  it  is  based.  It  bears  date  September  1st,  1775. 
The  first  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina  was  then  in  ses- 
sion in  Hillsborough.  The  delegates  from  Mecklenburg  were  his 
compeers  and  personal  friends, — Polk,  Avery,  Pfifer  and  McKnitt 
Alexander. 

"  INSTRUCTIONS    FOR    THE    DELEGATES    OF  MECKLENBURG    COUNTY, 
PROPOSED    TO    THE    CONSIDERATION    OF    THE    COUNTY. 

"  1st.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  the  late  Province  of  North 
Carolina  is,  and  of  right  ought  to  be,  a  free  and  independent  State  ; 
is  vested  with  the  powers  of  Legislation,  capable  of  making  laws 
to  regulate  all  the  internal  police,  subject  only  in  its  internal  con- 
nections and  foreign  commerce,  to  a  negative  of  a  continental 
Senate. 

"  2d.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  for  the  execution  of  a  civil  gov- 
*ernment  under  the  authority  of  the  people,  for  the  future  security 
of  all  the  rights,  privileges,  and  prerogatives  of  the  State,  and  the 
private,  natural  and  unalienable  rights  of  the  constituting  members 
thereof,  either  as  men  or  Christians.  If  this  should  not  be  con- 
firmed in  Congress,  or  Convention, — protest. 

"  3d.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  an  equal  representation  be 
established,  and  that  the  qualifications  required  to  enable  any  per- 
son or  persons  to  have  a  voice  in  legislation  may  not  be  screwed 
too  high,  but  that  every  freeman,  who  shall  be  called  upon  to  sup- 
port government,  either  in  person  or  property,  may  be  admitted 
thereto.  If  this  should  not  be  confirmed, — protest  and  remon- 
strate. 

"  4th.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  legislation  be  not  a  di- 
vided right,  and  that  no  man,  or  body  of  men,  be  invested  with  a 


PAPER   ON    CIVIL    AND  RELIGIOUS    LIBERTY.  71 

negative  on  the  voice  of  the  people  duly  collected ;  and  that  no 
honors  or  dignities  be  confirmed  for  life,  or  made  hereditary  on 
any  person  or  persons,  either  legislative  or  executive.  If  this 
should  not  be  confirmed, — protest  and  remonstrate. 

"  5th.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  all  and  every  person  or 
persons,  seized  or  possessed  of  any  estate,  real  or  personal,  agree- 
able to  the  late  establishment,  be  confirmed  in  their  seizure  and 
possession,  to  all  intents  and  purposes  in  law,  who  have  not  for- 
feited their  right  to  the  protection  of  the  State,  by  their  inimical 
practices  towards  the  same.  If  this  should  not  be  confirmed, — 
protest. 

"  6th.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  deputies,  to  represent  this 
State  in  a  Continental  Congress,  be  appointed  in  and  by  the  su- 
preme legislative  body  of  the  State  ;  the  form  of  the  nomination 
to  be  submitted  to,  if  free.  And  also,  that  all  officers,  the  influ- 
ence of  whose  office  is  equally  to  extend  to  every  part  of  the  State, 
be  appointed  in  the  same  manner  and  form.-  Likewise,  give  your 
consent  to  the  establishing  the  old  political  divisions,  if  it  should 
be  voted  in  Convention,  or  to  new  ones  if  similar.  On  such  estab- 
lishment taking  place,  you  are  instructed  to  vote,  in  general,  that 
all  officers,  who  are  to  exercise  this  authority  in  any  of  the  said 
districts,  be  recommended  to  the  trust  only  by  the  freemen  of  said 
division — to  be  subject,  however,  to  the  general  laws  and  regula- 
tions of  the  State.  If  this  should  not  be  substantially  confirmed, 
— protest. 

"  7th.  You  are  instructed  to  move  and  insist  that  the  people 
you  immediately  represent,  be  acknowledged  to  be  a  distinct 
county  of  this  State,  as  formerly  of  the  late  province,  with  the 
additional  privilege  of  electing  in  their  own  officers,  both  civil  and 
military,  together  with  election  of  clerks  and  sheriffs,  by  the 
freemen  of  the  same  :  the  choice  to  be  confirmed  by  the  sovereign 
authority  of  the  State,  and  the  officers  so  invested  to  be  under  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  State,  and  liable  to  its  cognizance  and  inflictions 
in  case  of  malpractice.  If  this  should  not  be  confirmed, — protest 
and  remonstrate. 

"  8th.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  no  chief  justice,  no  sec- 
retary of  State,  no  auditor-general,  no  surveyor-general,  no  prac- 
tising lawyer,  no  clerk  of  any  court  of  record,  no  sheriff,  and 
no  person  holding  a  military  office  in  this  State,  shall  be  a  repre- 
sentative of  the  people  in  Congress  or  Convention.  If  this  should 
not  be  confirmed, — contend  for  it. 

"  9th.  You  are  instructed  to  vote  that  all  claims  against  the  pub- 


72  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

lie,  except  such  as  accrue  upon  attendance  on  Congress  or  Con- 
vention, be  first  submitted  to  the  inspection  of  a  committee  of  nine 
or  more  men,  inhabitants  of  the  count)''  where  said  claimant  is  resi- 
dent, and  without  the  approbation  of  said  committee  it  shall  not 
be  accepted  by  the  public ;  for  which  purpose  you  are  to  move 
and  insist  that  a  law  be  enacted  to  empower  the  freemen  of  each 
county  to  choose  a  committee  of  not  less  than  nine  men,  of  whom 
none  are  to  be  military  officers.  If  this  should  not  be  confirmed, 
— protest  and  remonstrate. 

"  10th.  You  are  instructed  to  refuse  to  enter  into  any  combination 
of  secresy,  as  members  of  Congress  and  Convention,  and  also  to 
refuse  to  subscribe  to  any  ensnaring  tests  binding  you  to  unlimited 
subjection  to  the  determination  of  Congress  or  Convention. 

"11th.  You  are  instructed  to  move  and  insist  that  the  public 
accounts,  fairly  stated,  shall  be  regularly  kept  in  proper  books, 
open  to  the  inspection  of  all  whom  it  may  concern.  If  this  should 
not  be  confirmed, — contend  for  it. 

"  12th.  You  are  instructed  to  move  and  insist  that  the  power 
of  county  courts  be  much  more  extensive  than  under  the  former 
constitution,  both  with  respect  to  matters  of  property  and  breaches 
of  the  peace.     If  not  confirmed, — contend  for  it. 

"  13th.  You  are  instructed  to  assent  and  consent  to  the  establish- 
ment of  the  Christian  religion,  as  contained  in  the  Scriptures  of  the 
Old  and  New  Testament,  and  more  briefly  comprised  in  the  thirty- 
nine  Articles  of  the  Church  of  England,  excluding  the  thirty-seventh 
article,  together  with  all  the  articles  excepted  and  not  to  be  im- 
posed on  dissenters  by  the  Act  of  Toleration;  and  clearly  held  forth 
in  the  Confession  of  Faith,  compiled  by  the  Assembly  of  Divines 
at  Westminster ;  to  be  the  religion  of  the  State,  to  the  utter  exclu- 
sion, for  ever,  of  all  and  every  other  (falsely  so  called)  religion, 
whether  pagan  or  papal  ; — and  that  full,  and  free,  and  peaceable  en- 
joyment thereof  be  secured  to  all  and  every  constituent  member 
of  the  State,  as  their  unalienable  right  as  freemen,  without  the  im- 
position of  rites  and  ceremonies,  whether  claiming  civil  or  eccle- 
siastical power  for  their  source  ; — and  that  a  confession  and  pro- 
fession of  the  religion  so  established  shall  be  necessary  in  qualify- 
ing any  person  for  public  trust  in  the  State.  If  this  should  not 
be  confirmed, — protest  and  remonstrate. 

"  14th.  You  are  instructed  to  oppose  to  the  utmost,  any  particular 
church  or  set  of  clergymen  being  invested  with  power  to  decree  rites 
and  ceremonies,  and  to  decide  in  controversies  of  faith,  to  be  submit- 
ted to  under  the  influence  of  penal  laws.     You  are  also  to  oppose  the 


PAPER   ON   CIVIL    AND    RELIGIOUS   LIBERTY.  73 

establishment  of  any  mode  of  worship  to  be  supported  to  the  oppres- 
sion of  the  rights  of  conscience,  together  with  the  destruction  of 
private  property.  You  are  to  understand  that  under  the  modes  of 
worship  are  comprehended  the  different  forms  of  swearing  by  law 
required.  You  are,  moreover,  to  oppose  the  establishing  an  eccle- 
siastical supremacy  in  the  sovereign  authority  of  the  State.  You 
are  to  oppose  the  toleration  of  popish  idolatrous  worship.  If  this 
should  not  be  confirmed, — protest  and  remonstrate. 

"  15th.  You  are  instructed  to  move  and  insist  that  not  less  than 
four-fifths  of  the  body  of  which  you  are  members,  shall,  in  voting, 
be  deemed  a  majority.  If  this  should  not  be  confirmed, — contend 
for  it. 

"  16th.  You  are  instructed  to  give  your  voices  to  and  for  every 
motion,  or  bill,  made  or  brought  into  Congress  or  Convention, 
when  they  appear  to  be  for  public  utility,  and  in  no  ways  repug- 
nant to  the  above  instructions. 

"  17th.  Gentlemen,  the  foregoing  instructions  you  are  not  only 
to  look  upon  as  instructions,  but  as  charges,  to  which  you  are  de- 
sired to  take  special  heed,  as  the  ground  of  your  conduct  as  our 
Representatives  ;  and  we  expect  you  will  exert  yourselves  to  the 
utmost  of  your  ability  to  obtain  the  purposes  given  you  in  charge  ; 
and  wherein  you  fail,  either  in  obtaining  or  opposing,  you  are 
hereby  ordered  to  enter  your  protest  against  the  vote  of  Congress 
or  Convention,  as  is  pointed  out  to  you  in  the  above  instructions." 

This  paper  will  not  suffer  in  comparison  with  any  political  pa- 
per of  the  age.  In  some  respects  it  surpassed  all  with  which  Mr. 
Brevard  and  his  compeers  had  any  acquaintance.  In  the  first 
and  seventh  resolutions  there  is  a  reference  made  to  preceding 
events  in  North  Carolina,  to  which  nothing  corresponds  but  the 
doings  of  the  Mecklenburg  convention.  The  Congress  of  North 
Carolina  in  session  at  the  time  this  paper  was  drawn  up,  was  not 
prepared  for  such  a  step  as  is  referred  to — the  entire  independence 
of  the  State. 

In  the  second  and  third  resolutions,  the  democratic  republican 
principles  are  announced  in  their  full  extent, — complete  protection, 
and  extended  suffrage.  In  the  fourth  and  fifth,  aristocratic  honors 
are  done  away ;  and  the  right  of  property  confirmed.  In  the 
seventh,  the  election  of  all  officers,  civil  and  military,  is  confirmed 
to  the  people  at  large.  In  the  eighth,  the  jealous  watchfulness  of 
an  abused  community  is  seen  in  shutting  out  all  public  officers, 
from  whom  any  oppression  had  been  suffered  under  His  Majesty, 
from  the   office  of  law-maker  for  the  community.     In  the  ninth, 


74  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

tenth,  and  eleventh,  the  expenditure  of  the  public  money  is  guarded 
from  all  such  impositions  as  had  been  complained  of  in  times 
past.  The  object  and  amount  of  all  expenditures  to  be  fairly 
stated,  that  no  impositions  like  those  suffered  in  Orange,  and 
from  which  the  Regulators  sprung,  might  be  repeated.  By  the 
twelfth,  the  execution  of  the  laws  is  brought  more  within  the 
power  of  the  people,  or  at  least  more   carefully  within  their  view. 

But  the  thirteenth  and  fourteenth  resolutions  are  especially 
worthy  of  notice,  as  asserting  religious  liberty.  He  does  not 
take  the  false  ground  that  all  religions  are  to  be  contemplated,  in 
the  constitution  of  a  free  people,  as  alike  open  for  the  adoption  of 
the  community  at  large  ;  and  that  any  religion,  or  no  religion, 
may  become  the  public  sentiment  without  detriment  to  liberty  : — 
but  having  secured  to  all  persons  undisturbed  enjoyment  of  life 
land,  and  estate,  he  takes  the  broad  ground  that  there  is  one 
true  religion,  and  that  religion  is  acknowledged  as  true  by  the 
State.  He  believed  the  Bible,  and  from  it  had  drawn  his  princi- 
ples of  morals,  and  religion,  and  politics  : — from  it,  the  people  of 
Mecklenburg  had  drawn  theirs, — and  multitudes  in  Carolina  had 
drawn  theirs.  To  abjure  religion  would  be  to  abjure  freedom 
and  the  hope  of  immortality.  The  phrases  confession  and  pro- 
fession in  the  thirteenth  resolution,  are  not  taken  in  a  restricted 
sense  or  made  denominational,  but  used  in  their  enlarged  mean- 
ing, embracing  all  Protestants,  asserting  the  Bible  to  be  true,  and 
as  a  revelation  containing  the  complete  system  of  the  only  true 
religion. 

To  put  beyond  all  doubt,  however,  what  he  understood  by  the 
Christian  religion,  he  marks  out  the  two  well  known  and  ac- 
credited systems  of  Articles  with  which  he  and  his  constituents 
had  been  familiar,  and  under  which  he  arraigned  all  Protestants, 
both  asserting  the  main  principles  of  the  Reformation,  and  one 
conjoining  a  system  of  efficient  government  on  which  he  had  mo- 
delled his  political  creed, — a  creed  the  inhabitants  of  a  large 
part  of  North  Carolina  were  prepared  to  defend.  He  would  have 
the  community  disown  Infidelity  and  all  Paganism,  and  avow  the 
religion  of  the  Bible. 

Having  asserted  the  paramount  authority  of  the  Christian  Re- 
ligion as  the  sole  acknowledged  religion  of  the  community, — 
he  then  puts  all  denominations  on  a  level,  in  political  matters. 
North  Carolina  had  suffered  as  little  as  any  community  had,  or 
perhaps  could,  from  a  religious  establishment,  that  is,  certain 
forms  and  doctrines  supported  at  public  expense,  and  defended 


PAPER    ON    CIVIL    AND     RELIGIOUS    LIBERTY.  75 

by  law  ; — but  the  evils  resulting  had  been  so  many  and  so  great, 
that  these  resolutions  require  that  no  denomination,  not  even  that 
of  a  majority  of  the  citizens,  should  have  any  peculiar  privileges 
guaranteed  by  law.  The  people  of  Mecklenburg  were  almost 
universally  of  the  same  faith  as  himself ;  but  he  asked  no  favor 
by  the  power  of  law.  But  one  other  State  in  the  Union  had, 
at  that  time,  acknowledged  this  grand  principle,  and  with  this 
State  the  author  of  this  paper  had  no  communication.  The  idea 
was  to  him,  and  his  constituents,  a  peculiar  idea, — like  the  idea 
of  independence  under  the  supremacy  of  law,  it  was  consistent 
and  complete. 

Of  all  the  forms  in  which  religion,  professedly  drawn  from  the 
Bible,  is  presented  in  any  part  of  the  world,  one  only  is  excepted 
in  the  resolution, — that  is  the  Popish.  The  ancestors  of  these 
people  in  Mecklenburg  had  brought  with  them,  from  the  mother 
country,  no  kind  remembrance  of  the  spirit  of  the  Popish  clergy 
and  their  adherents.  Turn  to  what  period  of  the  history  of  their 
fathers  they  might,  and  the  Romish  priests  appeared  the  enemies 
of  that  religious  liberty  and  civil  freedom  for  which  they  panted. 
Every  page  of  the  history  was  stained  with  blood.  They  fully 
believed  the  spirit  of  popery  unchanged  ;  and  to  tolerate  it,  was 
to  cherish  in  their  bosom  an  enemy  to  the  very  privileges  and 
enjoyments  for  which  they  had  labored,  and  for  which  they  were 
prepared  to  lay  down  their  lives.  The  principles  of  religious 
liberty,  asserted  by  their  ancestors  the  other  side  of  the  ocean, 
took  deep  root  in  the  wilderness  of  Carolina,  and  grew  as  indi- 
genous plants.  The  people  felt  they  were  born  to  be  free 
— were  free  ;  and  having  made  declaration  of  their  freedom,  would 
maintain  it  against  all  enemies  unto  death. 

Now  that  the  subject  of  religious  liberty  has  been  discussed 
about  three-quarters  of  a  century,  in  the  freest  country  on  earth, 
the  only  exception  that  can  be  taken  against  these  resolutions  on 
religious  liberty,  is  on  this  single  point — the  exclusion  of  popish 
rites  and  ceremonies.  In  other  colonies  the  contention  had  been 
against  foreign  interference  with  the  established  religion  of  the 
province ;  here,  as  in  Rhode  Island,  the  ground  is  taken  against 
all  State  establishments  whatever.  It  is  instructive  to  observe 
how  this  principle,  avowed  by  Roger  Williams  in  exile  and  suf- 
fering, and  proclaimed  by  the  emigrants  in  North  Carolina,  has  at 
length  become  the  received  opinion  of  the  whole  United  States. 
And  while,  on  principle,  the  free  exercise  of  religious  rites  is 
guaranteed  to  all  that  claim  to  be  Christians,  of  whatever  sect  or 


76  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

denomination,  there  is  a  growing  fear,  manifesting  itself  in 
every  section  of  country,  lest  the  extension  of  popish  rites  and 
ceremonies  shall  be  found  at  last  injurious  to  civil  liberty. 

The  resolutions  of  the  Mecklenburg  Convention  establish  a  go- 
vernment, and  at  the  same  time  they  set  aside  the  authority  of  the 
king  of  Great  Britain.  In  this  paper  the  great  principles  on  which 
to  frame  a  constitution  of  the  most  entire  freedom,  fullest  protection, 
and  most  complete  dominion  of  law,  are  laid  down.  The  one  is  a 
beautiful  expression  of  enthusiastic  devotion  to  liberty  and  law  ; 
and  the  other  is  a  calm  expression  of  the  idea  of  that  liberty  for 
which  these  patriots  panted.  Neither  were  mere  theories  or  paper 
declarations  ;  both  were  realities.  The  people  felt  themselves  in- 
dependent,— and  that  they  had  a  natural  right  to  the  freedom  they 
enjoyed  in  their  log  cabins  in  the  wilderness,  and  on  the  plains  of 
the  Catawba,  far  removed  from  the  wealth  and  refinement  of  the 
seaboard.  Their  flocks  and  their  plains,  with  the  skilful  hands  of 
their  wives  and  daughters,  and  the  brawny  arms  of  their  sons,  and 
the  mines  beneath  their  feet,  supplied  the  wants,  and  even  the  luxu- 
ries of  men  who  could  sleep  upon  straw,  be  contented  in  home- 
spun coats,  and  find  domestic  peace  in  a  log  cabin.  The  liberty 
for  which  their  fathers  had  sighed,  these  men  had  found.  They 
knew  the  value  of  the  pearl,  and  rejoiced  in  that  liberty  in  which 
God,  in  his  grace  and  wonderful  providence,  had  made  them  free. 

This  paper  is  the  expression  of  the  feelings  of  thousands  in 
Carolina  in  1775,  and  the  feelings  of  multitudes  at  this  day.  The 
merit  of  Ephraim  Brevard  is,  not  that  he  alone  originated  these 
principles,  or  was  singular  in  adhering  to  them,  but  that  he  em- 
bodied them  in  so  condensed  a  form,  and  expressed  them  so  well. 
He  thought  clearly, — felt  deeply, — wrote  well, — resisted  bravely, — 
and  died  a  martyr  to  that  liberty  none  loved  better,  and  few  under- 
stood so  well. 


PRESBYTERIAN    SETTLEMENTS    IN    N.    CAROLINA.  77 


CHAPTER  IV. 

COMMENCEMENT    OF    PRESBYTERIAN    SETTLEMENTS    IN    NORTH 
CAROLINA. 

About  the  year  1735,  a  race  of  people  diverse  in  habits,  man- 
ners, forms  of  religious  worship  and  doctrinal  creed  from  those 
who  had  previously  taken  their  abode  in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas, 
and  destined  to  exert  a  grand  and  controlling  influence  on  the 
enterprise,  wealth,  and  prosperity  of  those  States,  began  to  erect 
their  habitations  along  the  western  frontiers,  and  form  a  line  of  de- 
fence against  the  savages  of  the  mountains  and  the  great  west,  by 
their  strong  neighborhoods  of  hardy,  enterprising  men,  in  that  re- 
gion of  country  extending  from  the  Potomac  river  to  the  Savannah, 
which  now  forms  the  heart  of  these  States,  and  is  most  abundant 
in  resources  of  men  and  things. 

Previously  to  that  date,  the  emigrants  to  Virginia,  whose  descend- 
ants had  spread  out  over  the  lower  counties,  and  were  progressing 
towards  the  mountains,  were  chiefly  from  England,  with  a  few 
Scotch  and  Irish  families  intermingled,  with  one  colony  of  Ger- 
mans in  Madison  county,  and  one  of  Huguenots  a  few  miles  above 
Richmond,  each  having  its  own  peculiar  forms  of  religious  wor- 
ship, and  ministers  proclaiming  the  gospel  in  their  native  tongue. 

In  North  Carolina  the  first  permanent  settlements  had  been 
formed  by  fugitives  from  Virginia,  who  sought  refuge  in  the  mild 
climate  and  extended  forests  of  this  unoccupied  region, — some 
from  the  rigid,  intolerant  laws  of  that  colony,  which  bore  so  heavily 
on  all  that  could  not  conform  to  the  ceremonies  of  the  established 
church, — and  some  from  a  desire  to  escape  from  the  jurisdiction  of 
all  law,  delighted  with  the  license  enjoyed  in  the  plains  and  swamps 
of  a  country  which,  previous  to  the  18th  century,  scarce  knew  the 
exercise  of  civil  authority.  When  the  Puritans  were  driven  from 
Virginia,  some  eminently  pious  people  settled  along  the  seaboard, 
safe  from  foreign  invasion,  and  free  from  the  domestic  oppression 
of  intolerant  laws  and  bigoted  magistrates.  Next  to  these  were  the 
emigrants  from  the  West  Indies  and  from  England,  who  preferred 
the  advantages  offered  by  this  uninhabited  country  to  those  of  a 
more  populous  state.  About  the  year  1707,  a  colony  of  Huguenots 
was  located  on  the  Trent  river  :  and  one  of  Palatines  at  Newborn, 


78  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

in  1709  ;  each  maintaining  the  peculiar  habits,  customs,  and 
religious  services  of  the  fatherland.  The  Quakers,  at  an  early 
date,  cast  in  their  lot  with  the  colony  of  Virginia  ;  and  many 
were  compelled  to  fly  from  the  execution  of  the  severe  laws 
passed  against  their  sect,  and  found  refuge  in  Carolina.  They 
were  of  English  descent,  and  at  that  time,  too  few,  in  either 
State,  to  exert  a  preponderating  influence  on  the  community  at 
large. 

The  Presbyterian  race,  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  is  not  found 
in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  till  after  the  year  1730,  except  in 
scattered  families,  or  some  small  neighborhoods  on  the  Chesapeake. 
Soon  after  this  period  it  is  found  at  the  base  of  the  Blue  Ridge 
in  Albemarle,  Nelson,  and  Amherst,  in  Virginia ;  and  then  in  the 
great  valley.  About  the  year  1736  a  colony  of  Presbyterians,  from 
the  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland,  commenced  their  residence  on  the 
head  springs  of  the  Opecquon  in  Frederick  county,  near  the  pre- 
sent town  of  Winchester;  and  their  descendants  are  found  in  the  con- 
gregation that  bears  the  name  of  the  creek  in  that  county,  and  also  in 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  and  Indiana.  About  the  same  time,  or  perhaps 
a  little  earlier,  John  Caldwell,  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  commenced 
a  settlement  on  Cub-creek,  in  Charlotte  county,  Virginia,  then  a  pro- 
vince ;  and  persuaded  a  colony  of  his  countrymen  to  unite  with  him. 
Their  descendants  are  found  in  the  Cub-creek  congregation,  and 
those  congregations  that  have  grown  out  of  it :  and  also  in  Kentucky 
and  South  Carolina — the  eminent  political  character,  John  Cald- 
well Calhoun,  being  one  of  them.  About  the  year  1736,  Henry 
McCulloch  persuaded  a  colony  from  Ulster,  Ireland,  to  occupy  his 
expected  grant  in  Duplin  county,  North  Carolina.  Their  descendants 
are  widely  scattered  over  the  lower  part  of  the  State,  and  the  south- 
western States,  with  an  influence  that  cannot  be  easily  estimated. 

About  the  same  period,  the  Presbyterian  settlements  were 
commenced  in  Augusta  and  Rockbridge  counties,  Virginia  ;  and 
speedily  increasing,  they  formed  numerous  large  congregations, 
which  are  still  flourishing,  having  given  rise  to  many  other  con- 
gregations in  the  counties  further  west,  and  also  in  the  western 
States.  From  all  these  have  arisen  hosts  of  men  that  have  acted 
conspicuous  parts  east  and  west  of  the  Alleghanies,  during  the 
century  that  has  passed  since  the  emigrants  built  their  cabins  on 
the  frontiers  of  Virginia  and  Carolina. 

The  loss  of  the  early  records  of  Orange  presbytery  has  left  us 
without  the  means  of  ascertaining  the  precise  year  the  Presbyterian 
colonies  in  Granville,  Orange,  Rowan,  Mecklenburg,  and,  in  fact, 


PRESBYTERIAN   SETTLEMENTS    IN    N.    CAROLINA.  79 

in  all  that  beautiful  section  extending  from  the  Dan  to  the  Catawba, 
began  to  occupy  the  wild  and  fertile  prairies.  But  it  is  well  known, 
that,  previously  to  the  year  1750,  settlements  of  some  strength 
were  scattered  along  from  the  Virginia  line  to  Georgia.  On  ac- 
count of  the  inviting  nature  of  the  climate  and  soil,  and  the  com- 
parative quietness  of  the  Catawba  Indians,  and  the  severity  of  the 
Virginia  laws  in  comparison  with  those  of  Carolina,  on  the  subject 
of  religion,  many  colonies  were  induced  to  pass  through  the  vacant 
lands  in  Virginia,  in  the  neighborhood  of  their  countrymen,  and 
seek  a  home  in  the  Carolinas.  As  early  as  1740,  there  were  scat- 
tered families  on  the  Hico,  and  Eno,  and  Haw — and  cabins  were 
built  along  the  Catawba. 

The  time  of  setting  off  the  frontier  counties  is  known,  but  is  no 
guide  to  the  precise  time  of  the  first  settlements.  Granville 
county  was  set  off  from  Edgecomb  in  1743,  and  extended  west  to 
the  charter  limits  ;  Bladen  was  taken  from  New  Hanover  in  1733, 
its  western  boundary  being  the  charter  limits  ;  and  in  1749  Anson 
was  set  off  from  Bladen  with  the  same  western  boundary.  The  two 
counties,  Anson  and  Granville,  embraced  all  the  western  part  of  the 
State  in  1749.  Orange  was  set  off  from  Bladen  in  1751,  and  Rowan 
from  Anson  in  1753,  and  Mecklenburg  from  Anson  in  1762.  These 
dates  show  the  progress  of  emigration  and  increase  of  population, 
but  do  not  fix  the  time  when  the  cabins  of  the  whites  began  to  sup- 
plant the  wigwams  of  the  Indians.  The  dates  of  the  land  patents 
do  not  mark  the  time  of  emigration,  as  in  some  cases  the  lands 
were  occupied  a  long  period  before  grants  were  made,  and  the  lands 
surveyed ;  and  in  others,  patents  were  granted  before  emigration. 
Some  of  the  early  settlements  of  Presbyterians  were  made  before 
the  lands  were  surveyed,  particularly  in  the  upper  country. 

Emigration  was  encouraged  and  directed  very  much  in  its 
earliest  periods,  by  the  vast  prairies,  with  pea-vine  grass  and  cane- 
brakes,  which  stretched  across  the  States  of  Virginia  and  Carolina. 
There  are  large  forests  now  in  these  two  States,  where,  a  hundred 
years  ago,  not  a  tree,  and  scarce  a  shrub  could  be  seen.  These 
prairies  abounded  with  game,  and  supplied  abundant  pasturage, 
both  winter  and  summer,  for  the  various  kinds  of  stock  that  ac- 
companied the  emigrants,  and  formed  for  years  no  small  part  of  their 
wealth.  In  1744,  Lord  Granville's  share  of  North  Carolina  was 
set  off  by  metes  and  bounds,  having  Virginia  on  the  north  ;  a  line 
drawn  from  the  sea-shore  westward  on  the  parallel  of  38°  34' 
north  latitude,  on  the  south  ;  the  Atlantic  Ocean  on  the  east ;  and 
the    unexplored  ocean    on   the    west.      The    great   inducements 


80  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

offered  by  his  lordship  and  his  agents,  the  beauty  and  healthiness 
of  the  country,  the  fertility  of  the  soil,  and  the  low  rate  at  which 
tracts  of  land  were  set  to  sale,  attracted  attention,  and  brought 
purchasers  for  residence  and  for  speculation.  Every  additional 
colony  increased  the  value  of  the  remaining  possessions  of  his 
lordship. 

The  remaining  part  of  the  upper  country  was  held  by  grants 
made  from  the  crown,  from  time  to  time,  and  by  the  grantees  sold 
out  in  smaller  sections.  There  is  nothing,  however,  in  the  peculiar 
circumstances  of  making  the  land  purchases,  or  in  the  country 
itself,  or  the  time  in  which  the  settlements  were  made,  that  can 
account  for  the  spirit,  principles,  and  habits  of  the  people.  These 
they  brought  with  them,  and  left  as  a  legacy  to  their  children  ; 
they  had  wrought  wonders  in  the  fatherland,  turning  the  scale  of 
revolution  in  1688,  putting  the  crown  on  the  head  of  William, 
Prince  of  Orange,  and  working  out  purity  of  morals,  inspiring  a 
deep  sense  of  religious  liberty  and  personal  independence,  under 
all  the  withering  influences  of  prelacy,  aristocracy,  and  royalty. 

While  the  tide  of  emigration  was  setting  fast  and  strong  into 
the  fertile  regions  between  the  Yadkin  and  Catawba,  from  the 
north  of  Ireland,  through  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia,  another  tide 
was  flowing  from  the  Highlands  of  Scotland,  and  landing  colonies  of 
Presbyterian  people  along  the  Cape  Fear  River.  Authentic  records 
declare  that  the  Scotch  had  found  the  sandy  plains  of  Carolina, 
many  years  previous  to  the  exile  and  emigration  that  succeeded 
the  crushing  of  the  hopes  of  the  house  of  Stuart,  in  the  fatal  bat- 
tle of  Culloden,  in  1746.  But  in  the  year  following  that  event, 
large  companies  of  Highlanders  seated  themselves  in  Cumberland 
county  ;  and  in  a  few  years  the  Gaelic  language  was  heard  fami- 
liarly in  Moore,  Anson,  Richmond,  Robeson,  Bladen,  and  Samp- 
son. Among  these  people  and  their  children,  the  warm-hearted 
preacher  and  patriot,  James  Campbell,  labored  more  than  a  quar- 
ter of  a  century  ;  and  with  them,  that  romantic  character,  Flora 
McDonald,  passed  a  portion  of  her  days.  As  many  congre- 
gations were  formed  among  these  Highlanders,  who  were  all 
Presbyterians,  as  that  devoted,  but  solitary  man  of  God,  Mr. 
Campbell,  could  visit  in  the  performance  of  the  duties  of  his  sacred 
offices. 

In  the  upper  part  of  the  State,  between  the  Virginia  and  Caro- 
lina line,  along  the  track  traversed  by  the  army  of  Cornwallis  in 
the  war  of  the  Revolution,  there  were  above  twenty  organized 
churches,  with  large  congregations,  and  a  great  many  preaching- 


PRESBYTERIAN   SETTLEMENTS    IN   N.    CAROLINA.  81 

places.  In  Caswell  county,  McAden,  the  first  minister  that 
became  permanently  settled  in  North  Carolina,  had  his  dwelling 
and  his  congregations  ;  in  Granville,  and  in  Orange,  along  the  Eno, 
the  eloquent  Pattillo  taught  impressively  the  wonder-working 
truths  of  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  in  Guilford,  was  the  school  and 
seminary  of  Caldwell,  the  nursery  of  so  many  eminent  men  ;  in 
Rowan,  the  elegant  scholar,  McCorkle,  preached  and  taught ;  in 
Iredell,  Hall  led  his  flock  both  to  the  sanctuary  and  the  tents  of 
war ;  in  Mecklenburg,  Craighead  cherished  the  spirit  of  indepen- 
dence which  broke  out  in  the  declaration  in  Charlotte,  May,  1775  ; 
and  Balch,  McCaule,  and  Alexander,  fanned  the  flame  of  patriot- 
ism in  their  respective  charges  ;  and  Richardson,  the  foster  uncle 
of  Davie,  ministered  in  holy  things.  All  of  these,  witli  the  excep- 
tion of  Craighead,  who  was  removed  by  death,  were  at  one  time 
teaching  the  principles  of  the  gospel  independence,  and  inculcat- 
ing those  truths  that  made  their  hearers  choose  liberty,  at  the 
hazard  of  life,  rather  than  oppression  with  abundance  ;  all  were 
eminent  men,  whose  influence  would  have  been  felt  in  any 
generation  ;  all  saw  the  war  commence,  and  most  of  them  saw 
its  end,  and  not  a  man  of  them  left  his  congregation,  not  a  man 
of  them  faltered  in  his  patriotism,  and  two  of  them  actually  bore 
arms.  Their  congregations  were  famous  during  the  struggle  of 
the  Revolution,  for  skirmishes,  battles,  loss  of  libraries,  personal 
prowess,  individual  courage,  and  heroic  women. 

Governor  Tryon  complained  of  the  resistance  the  crown  officers 
struggled  with  in  the  upper  country  of  Carolina,  as  the  unprinci- 
pled turbulence  of  an  ill-informed  and  unreasonable  people  ;  he 
marched  his  army,  and  dispersed  the  Regulators,  on  the  Alamance  ; 
and  then  trusted  to  the  solemn  oath  of  the  sufferers,  swearing  alle- 
giance to  the  king  for  their  spared  lives,  for  the  peace  of  the  coun- 
try, without  noticing,  and  perhaps  without  perceiving  the  fact, 
that  there  was  a  strong  moral  feeling  pervading  this  excited  com- 
munity, that  gave  sanctity  to  an  oath  in  the  most  unfavorable  cir- 
cumstances. But  the  principles,  that  gave  power  to  the  oath, 
gave  strength  to  the  opposition.  The  governor  left  the  State  with- 
out understanding  either  the  grievances  of  the  people,  or  the  deep 
workings  of  those  principles  that  would  outlive  all  oppression,  sure 
of  a  triumph  at  last,  though  arrayed  on  the  side  of  the  few,  and  the 
poor,  against  the  many,  and  the  rich  and  the  powerful. 

To  trace  out  these  principles  and  truths,  destined  by  the  wis- 
dom and  goodness  of  Almighty  God  to  get  the  mastery  of  the  mis- 
rule of  princes  and  men  in  authority,  legitimate  or  elective,  and 

6 


82  SKETCHES    OF  NORTH   CAROLINA. 

ultimately  to  prevail  throughout  the  world,  triumphing  over  human 
depravity  itself,  we  must  go  back  to  the  ancestry  of  these  people, 
which,  like  the  origin  of  the  proudest  house  and  longest  line  of 
crowned  heads  in  Continental  Europe — is  from  the  dust — the 
poorest  of  a  shrewd  and  enterprising  people.  The  farthest  limit, 
however,  to  which  the  research  will  be  carried,  is  about  the  com- 
mencement of  the  seventeenth  century ;  and  as  we  trace  the  pro- 
gress of  events,  and  the  developments  of  truth  through  the  seven- 
teenth century,  and  more  than  half  of  the  eighteenth,  we  shall  look 
with  less  surprise  than  did  Governor  Tryon,  on  the  resistance  to 
oppression  he  experienced  in  Orange  ;  or  than  Governor  Josiah 
Martin,  on  the  declaration  of  independence,  made  at  Charlotte  ; — 
these  events  will  seem  to  flow  as  streams  from  the  enduring  foun- 
tains of  Truth  and  Liberty. 

All  advancement  in  society  has  been  the  fruit  of  the  religious 
principle  ;  and  of  all  religious  principles  that  have  influenced 
society,  those  have  been  most  effective  that  have  most  exalted 
God,  and  put  the  lowest  estimate  on  the  moral  purity  of  human 
nature,  and  the  means  of  human  devising  for  the  purification  of 
our  race.  Those  have  done  most  for  mankind  that  have  first 
taught  the  creature  to  despair  of  himself,  and  next  to  trust  in  God  ; 
think  less  of  property  than  life,  and  less  of  life  than  principles  ; 
and  to  value  the  hopes  and  expectations  of  eternity  immeasurably 
more  than  the  things  of  time.  With  such  principles  men  may  be 
poor  and  unpolished,  but  can  never  be  mean  or  undone  ;  they  may 
be  crushed,  but  never  degraded.  When  Tryon  returned  to  his 
palace  in  Newbern,  after  the  bloodshed  on  the  Alamance,  he 
feasted.  The  people  of  Orange  mourned  under  the  oath  of  alle- 
giance exacted  with  terrible  sanctions,  and  at  the  sight  of  the 
gallows-tree  where  their  neighbors  had  died  ignominiously.  He 
was  the  minion  of  arbitrary  power ;  they  were  temporarily  crushed. 
He  was  finally  driven  from  the  provinces  of  America,  and  they 
bequeathed  to  their  children  the  inheritance  of  a  beautiful  land, 
with  all  that  civil  and  religious  freedom  they  ever  desired. 

Looking  back  from  the  time  of  the  bloodshed  on  the  Alamance, 
or  the  Declaration  of  Independence  in  Charlotte,  over  a  period  of 
half  a  century,  and  then  forward  on  the  things  that  next  succeeded 
in  the  space  of  another  half  century — the  events  of  both  which 
periods  have  passed  away  to  the  province  of  history, — and  we  have 
an  exhibition  of  principles  and  men  worthy  of  being  written  and 
read  by  all  mankind,  and  through  all  time.  The  wonderful  pros- 
perity of  the  last  quarter  of  a  century  but  adds  to  the  interest  of 


PRESBYTERIAN    SETTLEMENTS    IN    N.    CAROLINA.  83 

the  previous  thrilling  events.  Could  the  leaders  of  the  people 
that  formed  the  population  of  which  we  speak,  for  one  generation 
in  Ireland,  and  for  two  in  America  that  immediately  succeeded  the 
first  large  emigration — and  in  both  lands,  for  that  time,  the  real 
leaders  were  godly  men — could  these  now  rise  from  the  graves  to 
which  they  went  down,  some  in  peace,  some  in  the  sorrow  of  hope, 
and  could  they  speak  the  language  of  earth,  they  would  sing  a 
Psalm  of  David  louder,  than  Merrill  at  the  gallows — louder  than 
they  ever  sang  at  a  communion  season,  or  revival,  in  Ireland  or  in 
Carolina — the  beautiful  sixty-sixth  :  "  0  bless  our  God,  ye  people, 
and  make  the  voice  of  his  praise  to  be  heard  ;  which  holdeth  our 
soul  in  life,  and  suffereth  not  our  feet  to  be  moved.  For  thou,  O 
God,  hast  proved  us ;  and  thou  hast  tried  us  as  silver  is  tried. 
Thou  broughtest  us  into  the  net,  thou  layedst  affliction  upon  our 
loins.  Thou  hast  caused  men  to  ride  over  our  heads  ;  we  went 
through  fire,  and  through  water  ;  but  thou  broughtest  us  out 
into  a  wealthy  place.  I  will  go  into  thy  house  with  burnt  offer- 
ings ;  I  will  pay  thee  my  vows  ;  which  my  lips  have  uttered  and 
my  mouth  hath  spoken  when  I  was  in  trouble."  And  would  not 
their  posterity  in  and  around  the  grand  Alleghanies  shout  with  a 
voice  of  thunder  and  a  heart  of  love, — "  The  Lord  God  omnipo- 
tent reigneth  !  Alleluia  !  Amen  !  "  s 

For  about  two  centuries  and  a  half  this  race  of  people  have 
had  one  set  of  moral,  religious,  and  political  principles,  working 
out  the  noblest  frame-work  of  society  ;  obedience  to  the  just  exer- 
cise of  law  ;  independence  of  spirit ;  a  sense  of  moral  obligations  ; 
strict  attendance  on  the  worship  of  Almighty  God  ;  the  choice  of 
their  own  religious  teachers  ;  with  the  inextinguishable  desire  to 
exercise  the  same  privilege  with  regard  to  their  civil  rulers,  be- 
lieving that  magistrates  govern  by  the  consent  of  the  people,  and 
by  their  choice.  These  principles,  brought  from  Ireland,  bore  the 
same  legitimate  fruit  in  Carolina  as  in  Ulster  Province,  whose 
boundaries  travellers  say  can  be  recognized  by  the  peace  and 
plenty  that  reign  within.  Men  will  not  be  able  fully  to  understand 
Carolina  till  they  have  opened  the  treasures  of  history,  and  drawn 
forth  some  few  particulars  respecting  the  origin  and  religious 
habits  of  the  Scotch-Irish,  and  become  familiar  with  their  doings 
previous  to  the  Revolution — during  that  painful  struggle — and  the 
succeeding  years  of  prosperity ;  and  Carolina  will  be  respected 
as  she  is  known.  • 


84  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  V. 

THE    ORIGIN    OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH. 

To  find  the  origin  of  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterian  settlements  in 
Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  we  must  go  back  to  Scotland  and 
Ireland  in  the  times  of  Elizabeth  and  her  successor,  James. 
Elizabeth  found  Ireland  a  source  of  perpetual  trouble.  The 
complaints  from  the  ill-fated  island  were  numerous,  and  met 
little  sympathy  at  the  court  of  England  ;  right  or  wrong,  Ireland 
must  submit  to  English  laws,  and  English  governors,  and  Eng- 
lish ministers  of  religion ;  and  last,  though  not  least  in  the  esti- 
mation of  the  Irish,  the  English  language  was,  under  sanction  of 
law,  about  to  supplant  the  native  tongue,  and  the  last  work  of 
subjugation  inflicted  on  that  devoted  people. 

The  Reformation  in  England  had  been  accomplished  partly  by 
the  piety  and  knowledge  of  the  people  at  large  under  the  guid- 
ance of  the  ministers  of  religion,  and  partly  by  the  authority  of 
the  despotic  Henry  and  his  no  less  despotic  daughter.  The 
tyranny  of  the  crown  for  once  harmonized  with  the  desires  of 
that  great  body  of  the  people  so  commonly  overlooked,  and  even 
in  this  case  entirely  unconsulted ;  it  pleased  Henry  to  will  what 
the  people  desired.  In  Ireland  the  Reformation  was  commenced 
by  royal  authority,  and  carried  on  as  a  state  concern ;  the  ma- 
jority of  the  nobility  and  common  people,  as  well  as  the  ministers 
of  religion,  being  entirely  opposed  to  the  designs  of  the  sove- 
reign, their  wishes  were  as  little  consulted  as  the  desires  of  the 
people  of  England.  The  chief  agent  employed  in  this  work  was 
George  Brown,  consecrated  Archbishop  of  Dublin,  March  19th, 

1535.  Immediately  after  his  consecration  he  proceeded  to  Ire- 
land, and  in  conference  with  the  principal  nobility  and  clergy, 
required  them  to  acknowledge  the  king's  supremacy.  They 
stoutly  refused,  withdrew  from  the  metropolis,  and  sent  messen- 
gers to  Rome  to  apprise  the  Pope  of  the  proceedings.     In  May, 

1536,  a  parliament  was  assembled  for  the  purpose  of  taking 
measures  for  acknowledging  the  king's  supremacy  in  religion,  he 
being  considered  head   of  the   church   in    England    and   Ireland 


ORIGIN    OP    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH.  85 

instead  of  the  Pope  of  Rome.  The  principal  argujnent  of  the 
archbishop  was,  "  He  that  will  not  pass  this  act  as  I  do,  is  no 
true  subject  to  his  majesty :"  this  prevailed,  and  the  king  was 
proclaimed  head  of  the  church,  and  all  appeals  to  Rome  forbidden. 
Commotions  and  bloodshed  followed  the  order  for  the  removal  of 
the  images,  which  was  made  in  1538;  and  as  the  people  and 
clergy  were  strongly  in  their  favor,  the  order  was  evaded. 

The  first  book  printed  in  Ireland  was  the  Liturgy,  in  1551,  by 
Humphrey  Powell.  In  1556  John  Dale  imported  the  Bible  from 
England,  and  in  less  than  two  years  sold  seven  thousand,  being 
excited  to  make  trial  of  the  sale  of  Bibles  by  the  avidity  of  the 
people  to  read  the  present  sent  over  by  the  Archbishop  of  York, 
a  Bible  to  each  of  the  two  cathedrals,  to  be  kept  in  the  centre  of 
the  choirs,  open  for  public  perusal. 

Henry  found  the  Irish  a  source  of  vexation,  and  delivered  to  his 
children  the  inheritance  of  a  restless,  dissatisfied  people.  Eliza- 
beth pursued  the  policy  of  her  father,  with  his  vigor,  and  subdued 
Ireland  to  the  laws,  and  ostensibly  to  the  religious  rites  of  Eng- 
land, and  delivered  it  to  James  I.,  in  1603,  pacified  as  she  hoped, 
and  as  James  fondly  yet  vainly  imagined.  The  few  privileges 
that  were  left  to  the  Catholics  were  used  by  the  priests  and  no- 
bility to  promote  rebellion,  and  aggravate  James,  who  had  opposed 
the  Catholic  forms  more  from  political  interest  than  religious 
scruples.  A  conspiracy  formed  by  the  Earls  of  Tyrconnell  and 
Tyrone,  of  the  province  of  Ulster,  against  the  government  of 
James,  in  the  second  year  of  his  reign,  in  expectation  of  aid  from 
the  courts  of  France  and  Spain,  was  discovered  in  time  to  pre- 
vent its  execution.  The  earls  fled,  and  left  their  estates  to  the 
mercy  of  the  king.  Soon  after,  another  rebellion  or  insurrection 
raised  by  O'Dogherty  was  crushed,  its  leader  slain,  and  another 
large  portion  of  the  province  reverted  to  the  crown.  In  conse- 
quence of  these  and  other  forfeitures,  nearly  the  whole  of  six 
counties  in  the  province  of  Ulster,  embracing  about  half  a  million 
of  acres,  were  placed  at  the  disposal  of  James.  This  province 
had  been  the  chief  seat  of  disturbances  during  the  time  of  Eliza- 
beth, and  was  fast  becoming  desolate  or  barbarous.  With  the 
hopes  of  securing  the  peace  of  this  hitherto  the  most  turbulent 
part  of  his  kingdom,  James  determined  to  introduce  colonies 
from  England  and  Scotland,  that  by  disseminating  the  Reformed 
faith  he  might  promote  the  loyalty  of  Ireland.  In  the  fulfilment 
of  this  design  he  planted  those  colonies  from  which,  more  than 
century  afterwards,  those  emigrations   sprung,  by  which    western 


86  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  were  in  a  great  measure  peopled. 
The  frequent  attempts  made,  in  the  reign  of  Elizabeth,  to  plant 
colonies  of  English  and  Scotch  in  Ireland,  in  the  hope  that  those 
doctrines  of  the  Reformation,  as  odious  to  the  crown  as  the  peo- 
ple that  professed  them,  might  mould  the  Irish  mind  and  heart  to 
greater  attachment  to  the  English  crown,  had  been  conducted  on 
a  small  scale,  and  attended  with  little  success.  The  project  of 
James  was  grand  and  attractive,  and  in  its  progress  to  complete 
success  formed  a  race  of  men,  law-loving,  law-abiding,  loyal,  en- 
terprising freemen,  whose  thoughts  and  principles  have  had  no 
less  influence  in  moulding  the  American  mind,  than  their  children 
in  making  the  wilderness  to  blossom  as  the  rose. 

Sir  Arthur  Chichester,  on  whom  the  king  had  conferred  a 
considerable  estate  in  Antrim,  was  appointed  Lord  deputy  of 
the  kingdom,  in  February,  1605  ;  and  by  his  sound  judgment, 
sense  of  religion,  and  experience  in  the  affairs  of  men,  con- 
tributed not  a  little  to  the  success  of  the  royal  enterprise.  He 
had  six  counties  in  Ulster  carefully  surveyed,  and  the  lands  divided 
into  sections  of  different  magnitudes,  some  of  two  thousand  acres, 
some  of  fifteen  hundred,  and  some  of  a  thousand.  These  he 
allotted  to  different  kinds  of  persons  :  first,  British  undertakers, 
who  voluntarily  engaged  in  the  enterprise ;  second,  Servitors  of 
the  crown,  consisting  of  civil  and  military  officers ;  third,  Natives 
whom  he  hoped  to  render  loyal  subjects.  The  occupants  of  the 
largest  portions  of  land  were  bound,  within  four  years,  to  build  a 
castle  and  bawn,  that  is,  a  walled  enclosure,  with  towers  at  the 
angles,  within  which  was  placed  the  cattle, — and  to  plant  on  their 
estates  forty-eight  able-bodied  men,  eighteen  years  old  or  upwards, 
of  English  or  Scottish  descent.  Those  who  occupied  the  second 
class  were  obliged,  within  two  years,  to  build  a  strong  stone  or 
brick  house,  and  bawn  ;  and  both  were  required  to  plant  a  propor- 
tionable number  of  English  or  Scottish  families  on  their  posses- 
sions, and  to  have  their  houses  furnished  with  a  sufficiency  of 
arms. 

Under  these  and  various  other  regulations,  the  escheated  lands 
were  disposed  of  to  one  hundred  and  four  English  and  Scottish 
Undertakers,  fifty-six  servitors,  and  two  hundred  and  eighty-six 
natives ;  these  gave  bonds  to  the  State  for  the  fulfilment  of  their 
covenants,  and  were  required  to  render  an  annual  account  of  their 
progress.  Nearly  the  whole  of  the  county  of  Coleraine  was  al- 
lotted to  the  corporation  of  the  city  of  London,  on  condition  of 
their  building  and  fortifying  the  cities  of  Londonderry  and  Cole- 


ORIGIN    OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH.  87 

mine,  and  otherwise  expending  twenty  thousand  pounds  on  the 
plantations  ;  and  the  county  is  now  called  Londonderry,  in  allu- 
sion to  that  circumstance.  In  1610,  the  lands  began  to  be  gene- 
rally occupied.  The  northeastern  parts  of  the  province  were  oc- 
cupied principally  by  emigrants  from  Scotland,  on  account  of  the 
proximity  of  the  places,  and  the  hardy  enterprise  of  the  people  ; 
the  southern  and  western  parts  were  settled  by  the  English. 
Great  difficulties  attended  the  settlement,  arising  principally  from 
the  plundering  incursions  of  the  irreclaimable  natives.  A  con- 
temporary writer  says  :  "  Sir  Toby  Canfield's  people  are  driven 
every  night  to  lay  up  all  his  cattle,  as  it  were,  in  ward  ;  and  do  he 
and  his  what  they  can,  the  wolfe  and  wood-kerne,  within  culiver 
shot  of  his  fort,  have  often  times  a  share.  Sir  John  King  and  Sir 
Henry  Harrington,  within  half  a  mile  of  Dublin,  do  the  like,  for 
those  forenamed  enemies  do  every  night  survey  the  fields  to  the 
very  walls  of  Dublin."  The  country  had  grown  wild  during  the 
troubles  of  the  past  reign,  and  was  covered  with  woods  and 
marshes  that  affected  the  healthiness  of  the  climate  ;  this,  together 
with  the  difficulties  arising  from  the  opposition  of  the  native  Irish, 
and  the  wild  beasts  that  abounded  in  the  desolations,  greatly  re- 
tarded the  emigrations,  and  gave  a  peculiar  cast  to  the  emigrants. 

The  Reverend  Andrew  Stewart,  minister  of  Donaghadee  from 
1645  to  1671,  son  of  Rev.  Andrew  Stewart,  who  was  settled  min- 
ister of  Donegore  in  the  year  1627,  wrote  "  A  short  account  of  the 
Church  of  Christ  as  it  was  amongst  the  Irish  at  first : — among 
and.  after  the  English  entered : — and  after  the  entry  of  the  Scots." 
He  says,  "  of  the  English  not  many  came  over,  for  it  is  to  be  ob- 
served that,  being  a  great  deal  more  tenderly  bred  at  home  in 
England,  and  entertained  in  better  quarters  than  they  could  find  in 
Ireland,  they  were  unwilling  to  flock  thither,  except  to  good  land, 
such  as  they  had  before  at  home,  or  to  good  cities  where  they 
might  trade ;  both  of  which,  in  those  days,  were  scarce  enough 
here.  Besides  that  the  marshiness  and  fogginess  of  this  island 
were  still  found  unwholesome  to  English  bodies."  He  also  adds  : 
"the  king  had  a  natural  love  to  have  Ireland  planted  with  Scots,  as 
being,  besides  their  loyalty,  of  a  middle  temper,  between  the 
English  tender  and  the  Irish  rude  breeding,  and  a  great  deal  more 
likely  to  adventure  to  plant  Ulster." 

He  thus  describes  the  progress  of  the  plantation  : — "  The  Lon- 
doners have  in  the  Lagan  a  great  interest,  and  built  a  city  called 
Londonderry,  planted  with  English.  Coleraine  also  is  builded  by 
them ;  both  of  them  seaports,  though   Derry  be  both  the  more 


88  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

commodious  and  famous.  Sir  Hugh  Clotworthy  obtains  the  lands 
of  Antrim,  both  fruitful  and  good,  and  invites  thither  several  of 
the  English,  very  good  men,  the  Ellises,  Leslies,  Langfords,  and 
others.  Chichester,  a  worthy  man,  has  an  estate  given  him  in  the 
county  of  Antrim,  where  he  improves  his  interest,  builds  the 
prospering  mart  of  Belfast,  and  confirms  his  interest  in  Carrick- 
fergus,  and  builds  a  stately  palace  there.  Conway  has  an  estate 
given  him  in  the  county  of  Antrim,  and  builds  a  town  afterwards 
called  Lisnegarvay,  and  this  was  planted  with  a  colony  of  the 
English  also.  Moses  Hill  had  woodlands  given  him,  which  being 
thereafter  demolished,  left  a  fair  and  beautiful  country,  when  a 
late  heir  of  the  Hills  built  Hillsborough.  All  these  lands  and 
more  were  given  to  the  English  gentlemen,  worthy  persons,  who 
afterwards  increased,  and  made  noble  and  loyal  families  in  places 
where  had  been  nothing  but  robbing,  treason  and  rebellion." 

"  Of  the  Scots  nation  there  was  a  family  of  the  Balfours,  of  the 
Forbesses,  of  the  Grahames,  two  of  the  Stewarts,  and  not  a  few 
of  the  Hamiltons,  The  Macdonnells  founded  the  earldom  of 
Antrim  by  King  James's  gift, — the  Hamiltons  the  earldom  of  Stra- 
bane  and  Clanbrassil,  and  there  were  besides  several  knights  of 
that  name,  Sir  Frederick,  Sir  George,  Sir  Francis,  Sir  Charles  his 
son,  and  Sir  Hans,  all  Hamiltons  ;  for  they  prospered  above  all 
others  in  this  country,  after  the  first  admittance  of  the  Scots 
into  it." 

Con  O'Neill,  who  possessed  great  extent  of  lands  in  Down  and 
Antrim,  being  engaged  in  a  rebellion,  was  apprehended  and  laid 
in  the  king's  castle  ;  the  Deputy  intending  to  have  him  suffer 
capitally,  expecting  to  gain  a  large  portion  of  his  lands,  which  fell 
to  the  king.  His  wife,  indignant  that  her  husband  should  be  con- 
fined and  appointed  to  an  ignominious  death,  goes  over  to  Scotland 
and  lays  her  claim  before  Hugh  Montgomery  of  Broadstone,  pro- 
mising him,  if  he  would  get  her  husband's  pardon  from  the  king, 
to  be  content  with  a  third  part  of  their  estate,  and  cheerfully  to 
yield  two-thirds  to  him  under  the  king's  grant.  Montgomery  en- 
tered into  the  scheme,  and  having  a  boat  in  readiness,  and  his  wife 
carrying  to  him,  in  his  prison,  ropes  in  two  cheeses,  O'Neill  ef- 
fected his  escape  to  Scotland.  Montgomery  then  applied  to  Mr. 
James  Hamilton,  who  had  relinquished  his  fellowship  in  Dublin 
College,  and  was  in  high  favor  at  the  English  court,  to  assist  him 
in  obtaining  a  pardon  for  O'Neill  from  the  king,  promising  him 
half  of  his  two  parts  of  the  estates.  The  pardon  was  obtained  ; 
and  grants  were  issued  from  the  king  to  each  of  these  gentlemen 


ORIGIN    OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH.  89 

for  a  third  part  of  O'Neill's  estates.  Both  were  made  knights  : 
but  as  Montgomery  was  an  inheritor  under  the  king  in  Scotland, 
and  his  vassal,  he  obtained  the  precedency.  Hamilton,  however, 
so  managed  the  matter  as  to  obtain  the  better  share  in  the  pos- 
sessions. 

Mr.  Stewart  says, — "  These  two  knights,  having  received  their 
lands,  were  shortly  after  made  lords — Montgomery  of  Ards,  and 
Hamilton  of  Claneboy.  But  land  without  inhabitants  is  a  burden 
without  relief.  The  Irish  were  gone,  the  ground  was  desolate, 
rent  must  be  paid  to  the  king,  tenants  were  none  to  pay  them. 
Therefore  the  lords,  having  a  good  bargain  themselves,  make  some 
of  their  friends  sharers,  as  freeholders  under  them.  Thus  came 
several  farmers  under  Mr.  Montgomery,  gentlemen  from  Scot- 
land, and  of  the  names  of  the  Shaws,  Calderwoods,  Boyds, 
and  of  the  Keiths  from  the  north.  And  some  foundations  are 
laid  for  towns  and  incorporations,  as  Newton,  Donaghedee,  Com- 
ber, Old  and  New  Grey  Abbey.  Many  Hamiltons  also  followed 
Sir  James,  especially  his  own  brethren,  all  of  them  worthy  men  ; 
and  other  farmers,  as  the  Maxwells,  Rosses,  Barclays,  Moores, 
Bayleys,  and  others,  whose  posterity  hold  good  to  this  day.  He 
also  founded  towns  and  incorporations,  viz.,  Bangor,  Holywood, 
and  Killileagh,  where  he  built  a  strong  castle,  and  Ballywalter. 
These  foundations  being  laid,  the  Scots  came  hither  apace,  and 
became  tenants  willingly,  and  sub-tenants  to  their  countrymen 
(whose  manner  and  way  they  knew),  so  that  in  a  short  time  the 
country  began  again  to  be  inhabited." 

The  progress  of  the  plantation  was  slow ;  and  by  order  of  the 
Crown,  frequent  inquiries  were  made  into  its  advancement.  The 
last  was  made  in  1618  ;  by  that  it  appealed  that  one  hundred  cas- 
tles, with  bawns,  had  been  built ;  nineteen  castles  without  bawns  ; 
forty-two  bawns  without  castles  or  houses  ;  and  one  thousand  eight 
hundred  and  ninety-seven  dwelling  houses  of  stone  and  timber ; 
and  about  eight  thousand  men  of  English  and  Scottish  birth,  able 
to  bear  arms,  were  settled  in  the  country.  The  appointment  of  Sir 
Arthur  Chichester,  as  Deputy,  was  made  in  1605  ;  the  survey  was 
speedily  commenced  :  the  lands  began  to  be  generally  occupied, 
in  1610,  by  the  emigrants  from  Scotland  and  England;  and  by 
1618,  against  all  the  opposition  of  the  native  Irish,  and  the  unfa- 
vorable circumstances  of  the  country,  a  population,  with  some  eight 
thousand  fighting  men,  were  gathered  upon  the  escheated  lands. 

The  race  of  Scotchmen  that  emigrated  to  Ireland,  retaining  the 
characteristic  traits  of  their  native  stock,  borrowed  some  things 


90  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

from  their  neighbors,  and  were  fashioned,  in  some  measure,  by  the 
moulding  influences  of  the  climate  and  country.  In  contra-distinc- 
tion  from  the  native  Irish,  they  called  themselves  Scotch  ;  and  to 
distinguish  them  from  natives  of  Scotland,  their  descendants  have 
received  the  name  of  Scotch-Irish.  This  name  is  provincial,  and 
more  used  in  America  than  elsewhere,  and  is  applied  to  the  Pro- 
testant emigrants  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  their  descendants. 
The  history  of  this  people  from  this  period,  1618,  till  the  emigra- 
tion to  America,  which  commenced  with  a  discernible  current 
about  a  century  after  the  immigration  from  Scotland,  is  found  in 
the  "  History  of  Religious  Principles  and  Events  in  Ulster  Pro- 
vince." Their  religious  principles  swayed  their  political  opinions  ; 
and  in  maintaining  their  forms  of  worship,  and  their  creed,  they 
learned  the  rudiments  of  republicanism  before  they  emigrated  to 
America.  The)''  demanded,  and  exercised,  the  privilege  of  choos- 
ing their  ministers  and  spiritual  directors,  in  opposition  to  all 
efforts  to  make  the  choice  and  support  of  the  clergy  a  state,  or 
governmental  concern.  In  defence  of  this  they  suffered  fines  and 
imprisonment  and  banishment,  and  took  up  arms  at  last,  and,  victo- 
rious in  the  contest,  they  established  the  Prince  of  Nassau  upon 
the  throne,  and  gave  the  Protestant  succession  to  England. 

Emigrating  to  America,  they  maintained,  in  all  the  provinces 
where  they  settled,  the  right  of  all  men  to  choose  their  own  reli- 
gious teachers,  and  to  support  them  in  the  way  each  society  of 
Christians  might  choose,  irrespective  of  the  laws  of  England  or 
the  provinces, — and  also  to  use  what  forms  of  worship  they  might 
judge  expedient  and  proper.  From  maintaining  the  rights  of  con- 
science in  both  hemispheres,  and  claiming  to  be  governed  by  the 
laws  under  legitimate  sovereigns  in  Europe,  they  came  in  America 
to  demand  the  same  extended  rights  in  politics  as  in  conscience  ; 
that  rulers  should  be  chosen  by  the  people  to  be  governed,  and 
should  exercise  their  authority  according  to  the  laws  the  people 
approved.  In  Europe  they  contended  for  a  limited  monarchy 
through  all  the  troubles  of  the  seventeenth  century ;  in  America, 
their  descendants  defining  what  a  limited  monarchy  meant,  found 
it  to  signify  rulers  chosen  by  the  people  for  a  limited  time,  and 
with  limited  powers  ;  and  declared  themselves  independent  of  the 
British  crown. 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  91 


CHAPTER  VI. 

STATE  OF  RELIGION  IN  -IRELAND  FROM  THE  TIME  OF  THE 
EMIGRATION  FROM  SCOTLAND,  TO  THE  FIRST  EFFORT  TO  EMI- 
GRATE TO  AMERICA  IN  1631. 

The  state  of  Religion  among  the  emigrants  was  peculiar,  though 
not  strange  or  unexpected,  in  the  circumstances.  Many  of  the  large 
landholders,  and  also  the  proprietors  of  smaller  sections,  were  gentle- 
men in  the  Scotch  acceptation  of  the  word,  men  of  good  birth,  of  good 
manners,  of  some  education  and  property.  Some  of  them  appear 
to  have  been  truly  religious.  Among  the  tenantry  and  sub-tenantry, 
were  also  many  of  sound  principles  and  correct  lives, — and  some 
were  truly  pious.  But  the  circumstances  of  the  emigration  were 
such  as  to  hold  out  greater  inducements  to  the  restless  than  to 
the  sedate,  to  those  who  were  more  anxious  about  temporal,  than 
to  those  who  Avere  most  engaged  about  spiritual  concerns  ;  and 
consequently  the  province  was  occupied  by  settlers,  who  were 
willing  enough  to  receive  and  respect  ministers,  who  were  sent  to 
them,  but  were  not  characterized  by  any  great  desire  to  obtain 
either  faithful  ministers,  who  would  warn  them  of  their  sins,  or 
careless  ones  who  would  be  content  with  their  tithes.  Of  the 
latter  class  they  had  enough  in  Ireland,  as  the  whole  country  had 
been  divided  into  parishes,  which  were  expected  to  support  a 
minister  of  the  Established  Church  of  England.  The  former  class 
were  a  terror  unto  them,  as  they  always  are  to  those  not  fully 
intent  upon  their  own  salvation.  Stewart  draws  a  dark  picture  of 
the  people  soon  after  their  emigration  ;  it  is  probably  over  colored, 
as  the  author  was  not  conversant  with  the  settling  of  colonies  ;  the 
only  other  one  of  which  he  had  much  knowledge,  the  Puritans  that 
removed  first  to  Holland,  and  then  to  New  England,  being  a  soli- 
tary example  of  excellence.  "  Most  of  the  people  were  all  void  of 
godliness,  who  seemed  rather  to  flee  from  God  in  their  enterprise, 
than  to  follow  their  own  mercy.  Yet  God  followed  them  when 
they  fled  from  him.  Albeit,  at  first,  it  must  be  remembered,  that, 
as  they  cared  little  for  any  church,  so  God  seemed  to  care  as  little 
for  them.  For  these  strangers  were  no  better  entertained  (i.  e.,  by 
the  clergy  they  found  in  Ireland,  or  that  part  of  it  where  they  were) 


92  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

than  by  the  relics  of  popery,  served  up  in  a  ceremonial  service  of 
God  under  a  sort  cf  antichristian  hierarchy,  and  committed  to  the 
care  of  careless  men,  who  were  only  zealous  to  call  for  their  gain 
from  their  quarter.  Thus,  on  all  hands,  atheism  increased,  and 
disregard  of  God,  iniquity  abounded  with  contention,  fighting, 
murder,  adultery,  &c,  as  among  a  people  who,  as  they  had  nothing 
within  them  to  overawe  them,  so  their  ministers'  example  (i.  e., 
those  they  found  in  Ireland)  was  worse  than  nothing.  And  verily, 
at  this  time  the  whole  body  of  this  people  seemed  ripe  for  the 
manifestation  either  of  God's  judgment,  or  God's  mercy." 

The  situation  of  the  emigrants,  in  matters  pertaining  to  religion, 
was  so  different  from  the  condition  of  the  congregations  in  Scot- 
land, that  with  the  more  grave  and  religious  in  the  mother  country, 
it  became  a  matter  of  abhorrence  ; — so  much  so,  that  "going  to 
Ireland"  was  looked  upon  as  a  thing  to  be  deplored,  as  going 
away  from  the  privileges  and  enjoyments  of  religion.  It  became 
a  proverb  expressive  of  disdain,  "  Ireland  will  be  your  latter  end." 
Mr.  Blair  said  of  their  condition  in  religious  things — "  Although 
amongst  those  whom  divine  providence  did  send  to  Ireland,  there 
were  several  persons  eminent  for  birth,  education  and  parts,  yet 
the  most  part  was  such  as  either  poverty,  scandalous  lives,  or  at 
the  best,  adventurous  seeking  of  better  accommodation  had  forced 
thither  ;  so  that  the  security  and  thriving  of  religion  was  little  seen 
to  by  these  adventurers,  and  the  preachers  were  generally  of  the 
same  complexion  with  the  people."  This  condition  of  the  emi- 
grants became  at  length  a  matter  of  deep  sympathy  and  Christian 
benevolence — and  faithful  ministers  of  the  gospel  Were  encouraged 
to  take  their  abode  in  Ireland,  and  expend  their  strength  in  labors 
which  received  a  rich  blessing  from  on  high.  Between  the  years 
1613  and  1626,  seven  preachers  went  over  to  Ireland,  whose  exer- 
tions for  the  advancement  of  religion  were  blessed  to  such  an  emi- 
nent degree,  that  others  were  excited  to  follow  them  ;  and  in  a  few 
years  the  church  in  Ireland  became  as  famous  for  a  spirit  of 
revival,'  as  the  emigration  had  been  for  indifference  to  all  religious 
concerns. 

The  first,  in  point  of  time,  was  Edward  Brice,  M.A.,  who,  on 
account  of  his  strenuous  opposition  to  all  efforts  to  introduce  Epis- 
copacy into  Scotland,  was  compelled  to  leave  his  parish,  Drvmen* 
in  Stirlingshire  ;  turning  his  attention  to  Ireland,  he  directed  his 
steps  to  Broad  Island  in  County  Antrim,  where  an  old  acquaint- 
ance had  settled  in  1609.  He  began  to  exercise  his  ministry  there 
in  1613.     "In  all  his  preaching,"  says  Livingston,  "he  insi 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  93 

most  on  the  life  of  Christ  in  the  heart,  and  the  light  of  His  spirit 
and  word  on  the  mind  ;  that  being  his  own  continual  exercise." 
The  wrath  of  man,  in  his  troubles  at  home  in  Scotland,  was  over- 
ruled of  God  to  bring  him  to  preach  Christ  to  the  desolate  ;  his 
being  driven  from  his  parish,  was  the  leading  of  others  to  the 
Kingdom  of  God.     He  died  in  1636,  aged  67  years. 

The  second  was  John  Ridge,  a  native  of  England.  He  had 
been  admitted  to  the  order  of  Deacon  by  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  ; 
but  feeling  no  freedom  to  exercise  his  ministry  in  England,  on 
account  of  the  requisitions  made  of  the  clergy,  he  removed  to 
Ireland,  and  on  presentation  of  Lord  Chichester,  was  admitted  to 
the  vicarage  of  Antrim  in  July,  1619.  Blair  styles  him — "the 
judicious  and  gracious  Minister  of  Antrim."  Livingston  says  of 
him  :  "he  used  not  to  have  many  points  in  his  sermon  ;  but  he 
so  enlarged  those  he  had,  that  it  was  scarcely  possible  for  any 
hearer  to  forget  his  preaching.  He  was  a  great  urger  of  charita- 
ble works,  and  a  very  humble  man."  After  having  witnessed  the 
power  of  religion  in  an  uncommon  degree  in  Antrim,  as  will  be 
noticed  more  particularly  in  another  place,  when  the  great  revival 
comes  up  for  narration,  he  died  about  the  year  1637. 

The  third  was  Mr.  Hubbard,  a  Puritan  minister  from  England. 
He  was  Episcopally  ordained  ;  but  having  forsaken  the  commun- 
ion of  the  Established  Church,  and  taken  charge  of  a  non-con- 
forming congregation,  at  Southwark,  London,  he  was  greatly 
oppressed  by  the  intolerant  measures  of  the  times,  and  with  his 
people  resolved  on  removing  to  Ireland,  in  hopes  of  greater 
freedom  in  religion.  Lord  Chichester  being  informed  of  their  in- 
tention, invited  them  to  Carrickfergus  ;  they  were  peaceably 
settled  there  about  the  year  1621.  Blair  speaks  of  him  as  "an 
able  and  gracious  man."  He  soon  died  ;  but  his  congregation 
shared  largely  in  the  divine  blessing  that  so  unexpectedly  was 
poured  upon  Ulster  county. 

The  fourth  was  James  Glendenning,  whose  labors  were  pecu- 
liarly blessed,  a  native  of  Scotland,  educated  at  St.  Andrews,  and 
early  in  life  removing  to  Scotland,  he  succeeded  Mr.  Hubbard  at 
Carrickfergus.  The  theatre  of  his  greatest  usefulness  was  Old- 
stone,  near  Antrim,  where  commenced,  under  his  preaching,  the 
Revival  that  spread  over  the  province,  and  laid  the  foundation  of 
the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church.  Mr.  Glendenning  was  not 
esteemed  as  a  man  of  much  ability  or  learning  ;  but  his  preach- 
ing being  full  of  life  and  earnestness  was  much  admired,  and 
greatly  blessed  of  God.     He  left  Ireland  in  a  few  years. 


94  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  fifth  was  Robert  Cunningham.  Having  been  chaplain  to 
the  Earl  of  Buccleugh,  in  Holland,  on  the  return  of  the  troops  to 
Scotland,  he  went  to  Ireland,  and  became  curate  of  Holywood  and 
Craigavad  in  County  Down.  His  name  does  not  appear  upon  the 
roll  as  curate  till  1622,  though  he  was  in  Ireland  some  years  pre- 
vious to  that  time.  Livingston  says  of  him  :  "  To  my  discerning 
he  was  the  one  man  who  most  resembled  the  meekness  of  Jesus 
Christ,  in  all  his  carriage,  that  ever  I  saw,  and  was  so  far  reve- 
renced, even  by  the  wicked,  that  he  was  often  troubled  with  that 
scripture — '  woe  to  you  when  all  men  speak  well  of  you.'  "  He 
died  in  Scotland,  March  29th,  1 637,  having  witnessed,  in  an  extra- 
ordinary manner,  the  power  of  the  gospel. 

The  sixth  was  Robert  Blair.  He  had  been  professor  in  the 
College  of  Glasgow,  but  was  induced  to  leave  the  situation  on 
account  of  the  measures  used  by  Dr.  Cameron  to  introduce  Pre- 
lacy ;  being  invited  by  Lord  Claneboy  (James  Hamilton),  he  went 
to  Ireland  in  May,  1623,  and  was  settled  in  Bangor,  in  County 
Down.  On  his  first  landing  in  Ireland,  his  prejudices  against  the 
country  were  greatly  increased  by  what  he  saw.  Lord  Claneboy 
interested  himself  very  much  in  removing  his  difficulties,  and  Mr. 
Gibson,  the  first  Protestant  Dean  of  Down,  then  sick,  invited 
him  to  preach  in  Bangor,  and  afterwards  united  with  the  congrega- 
tion in  urging  him  to  make  that  his  abode.  Mr.  Blair,  in  his 
narrative,  says :  Mr.  Gibson  "  condemned  Episcopacy  more 
strongly  than  I  durst  to  ;  he  charged  me  in  the  name  of  Christ,  as 
I  expected  a  blessing  on  my  ministry,  not  to  leave  that  good  way 
wherein  I  had  begun  to  walk  ;  and  then  drawing  my  head  towards 
his  bosom,  with  both  arms,  he  laid  his  hands  on  my  head,  and 
blessed  me." 

On  his  first  interview  he  frankly  told  Bishop  Echlin  his  objec- 
tions to  Prelacy.  Echlin  promised  to  impose  no  conditions  on  him, 
but  said  he  must  ordain  him,  or  they  could  not  answer  the  laws  of 
the  land.  Blair  objected  to  the  performance  of  the  ordination  by 
him  alone.  The  bishop  finally  agreed  to  associate  Mr.  Cunning- 
ham and  the  neighboring  ministers  with  him  in  the  ordination  :  and 
the  service  was  performed  July  10th,  1623.  "  Whatever  you  ac- 
count of  Episcopacy,  yet  I  know  you  account  a  presbytery  to  have 
a  divine  warrant,"  said  the  bishop  to  him.  "  Will  you  not  receive 
ordination  from  Mr.  Cunningham  and  the  adjacent  brethren,  and 
let  me  come  in  among  them  in  no  other  relation  than  a  pres- 
byter ?" 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  95 

Livingston  says  of  Blair, — "  he  was  a  man  of  a  notable  consti- 
tution both  of  body  and  mind  ;  of  a  majestic,  awful,  yet  affable  and 
amiable  countenance  and  carriage,  learned,  of  strong  parts,  deep 
inventions,  and  solid  judgment.  He  seldom  ever  wanted  assurance 
of  his  salvation.  He  spent  many  days  and  nights  in  prayer  alone, 
and  with  others,  and  was  vouchsafed  great  intimacy  with  God." 

The  seventh  was  James  Hamilton,  nephew  to  Lord  Clancboy 
(James  Hamilton,  who  obtained  a  part  of  O'Neill's  estate),  whom 
Mr.  Blair  found  in  the  employ  of  his  uncle,  as  steward,  or  agent. 
Perceiving  his  piety,  and  knowing  his  education,  he  invited  him  to 
enter  the  ministry.  "  I  invited  him,"  says  Mr.  Blair,  "  to  preach 
in  my  pulpit,  in  his  uncle's  hearing,  who  till  then  knew  nothing  of 
this  matter.  We  were  afraid  the  viscount  would  not  part  with  so 
faithful  a  servant.  But  he,  having  once  heard  his  nephew,  did  put 
more  respect  on  him  than  before."  Mr.  Hamilton  was  ordained 
by  Bishop  Echlin  in  the  year  1625. 

These  seven  brethren  labored  with  the  spirit  of  missionaries  of 
the  cross,  and  triumphing  over  all  difficulties,  were  favored  with 
an  extraordinary  measure  of  success.  Their  influence  was  first 
seen  in  a  reformation  of  manners  and  a  devout  attention  to  religion  ; 
and  led,  under  the  blessing  of  God,  to  a  revival  of  religion,  which 
spread  over  a  large  part  of  the  counties  of  Down  and  Antrim,  and 
is  one  of  the  mo^t  signal  on  record  in  the  Protestant  Church.  This 
revival  first  appeared  under  the  preaching  of  the  weakest  of  the 
brethren,  Mr.  Glendenning.  Mr.  Stewart,  in  his  narrative,  thus 
relates  the  matter :  "  Mr.  Blair,  coming  over  from  Bangor  to  Car- 
rickfergus  on  some  business,  and  occasionally  hearing  Mr.  Glen- 
denning preach,  perceived  some  sparkles  of  good  inclination  in  him, 
yet  found  him  not  solid  but  weak,  and  not  fitted  for  a  public  place, 
and  among  the  English.  On  which  Mr.  Blair  did  call  him,  and 
using  freedom  with  him,  advised  him  to  go  to  some  place  in  the 
country  among  his  countrymen  ;  whereupon  he  went  to  Oldstone 
(near  the  town  of  Antrim),  and  was  there  placed.  He  was  a  man 
who  could  never  have  been  chosen  by  a  wise  assembly  of  minis- 
ters, nor  sent  to  begin  a  reformation  in  this  land.  For  he  was 
little  better  than  distracted, — yea  afterwards  did  actually  become 
so." 

"At  Oldstone  God  made  use  of  him  to  awaken  the  consciences 
of  a  lewd  people  thereabouts.  For  seeing  the  great  lewdness  and 
ungodly  sinfulness  of  the  people,  he  preached  nothing  to  them  but 
law,  wrath,  and  the  terrors  of  God  for  sin.  And  indeed  for  nothing 
else  was  he  fitted,  for  hardly  could  he  preach  any  other  thing." 


96  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

But  behold  the  success  !  For  the  hearers  finding  themselves  con- 
demned by  the  mouth  of  God  speaking  in  his  work,  fell  into  such 
anxiety  and  terror  of  conscience,  that  they  looked  on  themselves  as 
altogether  lost  and  damned ;  and  this  work  appeared  not  in  one 
single  person  or  two,  but  multitudes  were  brought  to  understand 
their  way,  and  to  cry  out,  '  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall  we  do  to 
be  saved  V  I  have  seen  them  myself  stricken  into  a  swoon  with  a 
word  ;  yea,  a  dozen  in  one  day  carried  out  of  doors  as  dead, — so 
marvellous  was  the  power  of  God,  smiting  their  hearts  for  sin, 
condemning  and  killing.  And  these  were  none  of  the  weaker  sex 
or  spirit,  but  indeed  some  of  the  boldest  spirits,  who  formerly 
feared  not,  with  their  swords,  to  put  a  whole  market  town 
in  a  fray ; — yea,  in  defence  of  their  stubbornness  cared  not 
to  lie  in  prison  and  in  the  stocks, — and  being  incorrigible, 
were  as  ready  to  do  the  like  next  day.  I  have  heard  one 
of  them,  then  a  mighty  strong  man,  now  a  mighty  Christian,  say, 
that  his  end  in  coming  to  church  was  to  consult  with  his  compa- 
nions how  to  work  some  mischief.  And  yet  at  one  of  those 
sermons  was  he  so  catched,  that  he  was  fully  subdued.  But  why 
do  I  speak  of  him  ?  we  knew,  and  yet  know  multitudes  of  such 
men,  who  sinned,  and  still  gloried  in  it,  because  they  feared  no 
man,  yet  are  now  patterns  of  sobriety,  fearing  to  sin,  because  they 
fear  God."  * 

"  And  this  spread  through  the  country  to  admiration,  especially 
about  that  river,  commonly  called  the  Six  Mile  Water,  for  there 
this  work  began  at  first.  At  this  time  of  the  people's  gathering  to 
Christ,  it  pleased  the  Lord  to  visit  mercifully  the  honorable  family 
in  Antrim,  so  as  Sir  John  Clotworthy,  and  my  Lady  his  mother, 
and  his  own  precious  Lady,  did  shine  in  an  eminent  manner  in  re- 
ceiving the  gospel  and  offering  themselves  to  the  Lord,  whose 
example  instantly  other  gentlemen  followed,  such  as  Captain  Nor- 
ton and  others,  of  whom  the  gospel  made  a  clear  and  cleanly  con- 
quest." 

This  religious  excitement  spreading  wide,  continued  for  a  con- 
siderable length  of  time  ;  the  demand  for  the  pure  word  of  the 
gospel  was  unceasing ;  and  the  labors  of  the  ministers  unremitting. 
The  mercy  of  the  gospel  was  welcomed  by  the  hearts  wounded 
for  sin  and  by  sin ;  and  great  numbers  were  hopefully  awakened 
and  converted  to  God.  Among  other  things  that  followed  this  re- 
vival was  the  Monthly  Meeting  at  Antrim,  the  effects  of  which 
were  great  and  happy.  Its  origin  is  thus  described  by  Stewart  and 
Blair :— 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  97 

"  There  was  a  man  in  the  parish  of  Olclstone,  called  Hugh 
Campbell,  who  had  fled  from  Scotland  ;  God  caught  him  in  Ireland, 
and  made  him  an  eminent  and  exemplary  Christian  until  this  day. 
He  was  a  gentleman  of  the  house  of  Duckethall.  After  this  man 
was  healed  of  the  wound  given  to  his  soul  by  the  Almighty,  he 
became  very  refreshful  to  others  who  had  less  learning  and  judg- 
ment than  himself.  He  therefore  invited  some  of  his  honest 
neighbors,  who  fought  the  same  fight  of  faith,  to  meet  him  at  his 
house  on  the  last  Friday  of  every  month ;  where  and  when,  be- 
ginning with  a  few,  they  spent  their  time  in  prayer,  mutual  edifi- 
cation, and  conference,  on  what  they  found  within  them  :  nothing 
like  the  superficial  superfluous  meetings  of  some  cold-hearted  pro- 
fessors, who  afterwards  made  this  work  a  snare  to  many.  But 
these  new  beginners  were  more  filled  with  heart  exercises  than 
head  notions,  and  with  fervent  prayer  rather  than  conceity  notions 
to  fill  the  head.  As  these  truly  increased,  so  did  this  meeting  for 
private  edification  increase  too ;  and  still  at  Hugh  Campbell's 
house,  on  the  last  Friday  of  the  month.  At  last  they  grew  so  nu- 
merous that  the  ministers  who  had  begotten  them  again  to  Christ, 
thought  fit  that  some  of  them  should  be  still  with  them,  to  prevent 
what  hurt  might  follow."  This  took  place  in  the  year  1626. 
Here  Mr.  Stewart's  narrative  ends  abruptly.  Mr.  Blair  says  : — 
"  Mr.  John  Ridge,  the  judicious  and  gracious  minister  of  Antrim, 
perceiving  many  people,  both  sides  of  the  Six  Mile  Water,  awak- 
ened out  of  their  security,  made  an  overture  that  a  monthly  meet- 
ing might  be  set  up  at  Antrim,  which  was  within  a  mile  of  Oldstone, 
and  lay  centrical  for  the  awakened  persons  to  resort  to,  and  he 
invited  Mr.  Cunningham,  Mr.  Hamilton,  and  myself,  to  take  part 
in  that  work,  who  were  all  glad  of  the  motion,  and  heartily  em- 
braced it." 

As  the  revival  progressed,  the  news  of  it  reached  Scotland, 
and  called  the  attention  of  the  whole  Christian  community  to  Ire- 
land ;  and  in  consequence,  some  very  able  ministers  went  over  to 
take  part  in  the  work,  and  were  blessed  of  God  in  being  exten- 
sively useful  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the  Irish  Presbyterian 
Church.  In  addition  to  the  seven  who  went  previous  to  the  revival, 
the  following  six,  who  entered  the  field  during  the  great  excitement, 
are  worthy  of  particular  notice. 

The  first,  Josias  Welch,  son  of  John  Welch,  of  Ayr,  and 
grandson  of  John  Knox,  the  Reformer,  by  his  third  daughter, 
Elizabeth.  Having  finished  his  education  at  Geneva,  he  filled  a 
Professor's  chair  in  Glasgow,  till  the  movements  of  Dr.  Cameron 

7 


98  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

for  prelacy,  which  drove  Mr.  Blair  from  college,  induced  him  also 
to  surrender  his  office.  At  Mr.  Blair's  earnest  instigation  he  went 
to  Ireland  in  1626,  and  like  that  good  man,  found  that  per- 
secution, as  in  the  days  of  the  death  of  Stephen,  sometimes 
drives  men  into  that  part  of  the  Lord's  vineyard  where  they  reap 
the  richest  harvest  for  eternal  life.  He  preached  for  a  time 
at  Oldstone,  where  the  excitement  began ;  and  having  been  or- 
dained by  his  kinsman  Knox,  Bishop  of  Raphoe,  in  Donegal, 
was  soon  after  settled  at  Temple  Patrick,  and,  Livingston  says, 
had  many  seals  to  his  ministry.  He  died  on  Monday,  June  23d, 
1634. 

The  second  that  came  was  Andrew  Stewart,  who  was  settled 
as  minister  of  Donegore,  adjoining  Temple  Patrick  and  Antrim. 
Blair  styles  him  "  a  learned  gentleman,  and  fervent  in  spirit,  and  a 
very  successful  minister  of  the  word  of  God."  He  died  in  July, 
1634. 

The  third  was  George  Dunbar.  He  had  been  minister  of  Ayr, 
and  was  twice  ejected  on  account  of  his  nonconformity,  and  for  a 
time  confined  in  Blackness,  and  then  banished.  On  the  arrival  of 
the  news  of  his  second  ejectment,  he  turned  to  his  wife  and  said  : 
"  Wife,  get  the  creels  ready  again  ;"  that  is,  the  osier  baskets  in 
which  he  had  carried  his  children  in  his  first  remove.  He  was 
driven  to  Ireland  to  be  blessed  in  the  Lord's  vineyard.  Being  set- 
tled at  Larna,  county  Antrim,  his  congregation  participated  in  the 
great  revival ;  and  among  the  subjects  was  the  singular  case  of  a 
deaf  and  dumb  person,  Andrew  Brown,  who,  by  his  reformed  life 
and  expressions  of  piety,  prevailed  on  the  ministers,  who  met  at 
Antrim,  in  their  monthly  meetings,  to  admit  him  to  the  Lord's 
table.  A  singular,  and  almost  solitary,  case  of  a  mute  professing 
spiritual  religion,  previous  to  the  recent  successful  efforts  at  giving 
them  instruction. 

The  fourth  was  Henry  Colwort,  a  native  of  England,  ordain- 
ed by  Knox,  Bishop  of  Raphoe,  on  the  4th  of  May,  1629,  and 
settled  at  Oldstone,  June,  1630.  Blair  says,  "  this  able  minister 
was  a  blessing  to  that  people  ;"  and  Livingston  speaks  of  him  as 
one  "  who  very  pertinently  cited  much  Scj  ipturc  in  his  sermons, 
and  frequently  urged  fasting  and  prayer." 

The  fifth  was  John  Livingston.  Being  silenced  by  Spotis- 
wood,  Archbishop  of  St.  Andrews,  in  the  year  1627,  and  being 
prevented  by  the  bishops  from  obtaining  a  settlement,  though  invi- 
tations came  to  him  from  various  quarters,  he  at  length  yielded  to 
the  storm,  and  following  the   hand  of  the  Lord,  went  to  Ireland, 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  99 

August,  1630,  and  was  settled  in  Killinchy,  in  county  Down.  He 
received  ordination  from  Knox,  in  the  same  manner  Blair  had  done, 
some  years  previously.  In  the  month  of  June  preceding  his 
removal  to  Ireland,  he  had,  in  company  with  Mr.  Robert  Blair, 
assisted  at  the  famous  meeting  in  the  Kirk  of  Shotts,  which  re- 
sulted in  the  hopeful  conversion  of  so  large  a  company.  Under 
his  sermon  on  Monday,  which  he  delivered  after  hours  of  medita- 
tion and  private  prayer,  the  whole  audience  seemed  under  the  con- 
victing power  of  the  word,  and  as  many  as  Jive  hundred,  of  those 
that  day  impressed,  afterwards  professed  faith  in  Christ.  Some 
say  that,  reckoning  up  all  that  from  that  day's  preaching  became 
hopefully  religious,  the  number  would  be  swelled  to  seven  hun- 
dred ;  as  the  audience  was  collected  from  a  great  distance,  as 
usual  on  Scotch  communion  days,  many  of  the  hopeful  converts 
were  from  distant  congregations,  and  some  who  dated  their  reli- 
gious impressions  from  that  day,  did  not  profess  religion  for  a 
length  of  time. 

The  great  excitement  produced  at  this  meeting  rendered  Mr. 
Blair  and  Mr.  Livingston  more  obnoxious  than  ever  to  the  Pre- 
lates, who,  under  pretence  of  their  having  transgressed  the  order 
of  the  Church  and  the  government,  prevailed  on  Bishop  Echlin,  in 
Ireland,  in  September,  1631,  to  suspend  both  these  men  from  their 
ministerial  functions.  No  service  done  to  God,  in  the  conversion 
of  men,  could  satisfy  these  Prelates  for  nonconformity  to  their  es- 
tablished rules  of  Church  government. 

Two  others  were  extensively  useful,  though  not  settled  in  con- 
gregations. One  was  John  McClelland,  of  whom  Livingston 
says, — "  he  was  first  school-master  at  Newton- Ards  in  Ireland, 
where  he  bred  several  hopeful  youths  for  the  college.  Being  first 
tried  and  approved  by  the  honest  ministers  in  the  county  of  Down, 
he  often  preached  in  their  churches.  He  was  a  most  straight  and 
zealous  man  ;  he  knew  not  what  it  was  to  be  afraid  of  man  in 
the  cause  of  God ;  and  was  early  acquainted  with  God  and  his 
ways." 

The  other  was  John  Semple.  Aocording  to  the  mode  of  com- 
mencing public  worship,  he,  as  clerk  or  precentor,  was,  as  custom- 
ary, singing  a  psalm  before  the  minister  came  in  that  was  to 
preach.  Thinking  the  minister  tarried  long,  he  felt  an  impulse  to 
speak  something  to  the  psalm  he  was  singing ;  and,  as  he  said, — 
"he  was  carried  out  with  great  liberty."  The  ministers,  looking 
upon  his  case  as  peculiar,  made  private  trials  of  his  capability  to 
teach,  and  gave  him  license  "  to  exercise  his  gifts  in  private  houses 


100  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  families."  With  this  liberty  he  went  through  the  country 
with  great  acceptance  ;  the  people  nocked  to  hear  him,  filling 
dwelling-houses  and  barns  ;  and  to  very  many  he  was  the  happy 
instrument  of  God  in  their  conversion. 

These  ministers  were  powerful  auxiliaries  in  extending  the  re- 
vival in  Ulster.  The  churches  gathered  by  them  multiplied '  and 
extended,  and  became  a  large  body ;  and  from  them  were  the 
emigrants  whose  descendants  are  found  in  Pennsylvania,  western 
Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina,  in  large  bodies,  and  also  in 
smaller  companies  scattered  over  the  southern  and  western  portions 
of  the  United  States. 

The  monthly  meeting  set  up  at  Oldstone  by  Mr.  Campbell,  being 
altogether  in  the  hands  of  the  inexperienced,  was  likely  to  lead  to 
the  evils  that  result  from  zeal  without  knowledge.  By  the  prudent 
exertions  of  Mr.  Ridge  of  Antrim,  a  monthly  meeting  of  ministers 
was  formed,  which  took  the  place  of  the  other,  prevented  the 
dreaded  evils,  and  became  instrumental  of  great  good  to  the  com- 
munity. The  exercises  of  those  meetings  were  very  similar  to  the 
services  performed  at  the  communion  seasons  in  Scotland,  and  to 
the  communion  seasons  and  four  day  meetings  held  by  the  Pres- 
byterians in  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas,  and  indeed  in  the  whole 
South  and  West.  People  flocked  to  them  in  crowds,  and  embraced 
the  opportunity  of  conversation  with  their  minister,  and  each 
other,  on  the  great  subjects  of  Religion ;  and  the  minister  took  the 
opportunity  of  communicating  instructions  on  important  subjects, 
and  for  the  exercise  of  necessary  discipline,  in  which  unity  of 
purpose  and  action  was  required. 

Mr.  Brice  of  Broad  Island,  and  Mr.  Dunbar,  who  was  for  a  time 
his  assistant,  and  afterwards  settled  at  Oldstone,  were  called  to 
the  exercise  of  prudence  and  judgment  in  another  way.  In  Broad 
Island  and  the  adjacent  parish  of  Oldstone,  there  were  several 
persons  violently  affected  during  public  worship  with  hard  breath- 
ings and  convulsions  of  the  body.  These  new  and  strange  exer- 
cises they  considered  as  evidences  of  the  work  of  the  Spirit. 
Messrs.  Brice  and  Dunbar  examined  them  carefully  on  this  matter, 
and  on  conferring  with  them  about  their  state  of  mind  and  heart, 
could  not  find  that  these  bodily  exercises  either  produced  or  ac- 
companied any  discovery  of  their  sinfulness  before  God,  nor  any 
clear  views  of  Christ,  or  desires  after  him.  They  therefore  con- 
sidered the  exercises  to  be  either  an  imposition  or  a  delusion. 
The  ministerial  brethren  were  called  together  upon  the  matter ; 
and  after  a  patient  examination  they  decided  against  the  opinion 


RELIGION    IN    IRELAND    PREVIOUS    TO    EMIGRATION.  10i 

that  the  exercises  were  either  a  work  of  the  Spirit  or  any  evidence 
of  its  presence.  Mr.  Blair  says — "  When  we  came  and  conferred 
with  them,  we  perceived  it  to  be  a  mere  delusion  and  cheat  of  the 
destroyer,  to  slander  and  disgrace  the  work  of  God."  The  putting 
down  these  irregularities  did  not  hinder  the  progress  of  the  good 
work,  but  rather  gave  confidence  both  to  preachers  and  people. 
Instead  of  permitting  the  passions  and  feelings  of  their  hearers  to 
lead  the  pastors,  or  the  heat  of  excitement  to  blind  their  eyes, 
they  submitted  all  things  in  religion  to  the  test  of  Scripture,  and 
by  its  authority  they  chose  to  abide.  This  was  their  rule  in 
church  government,  ordination  and  doctrine  :  and  more  than  two 
centuries  in  Europe,  and  more  than  a  century  in  America,  has 
tested  and  proved  the  prudence  and  propriety  of  their  decisions. 

The  monthly  meeting  at  Antrim,  besides  being  a  source  of  rich 
encouragement  and  high  enjoyment  to  the  people,  became  to  the 
ministers  a  source  of  great  consolation.  In  them  they  took  coun- 
sel and  gave  advice,  and  comforted  and  exhorted  each  other  ;  and, 
until  presbyteries  were  formed,  it  was  their  grand  council.  It 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  that  the  whole  country  was  under  the 
Established  Church  of  England ;  and  in  the  space  occupied 
by  these  laborers  were  some  twenty  ministers  of  the  Established 
Church,  who  took  no  interest  in  the  revival,  but  rather  set  them- 
selves against  it,  and  were  opposed  to  these  ministers  preaching  in 
their  parish  bounds.  Bishop  Echlin,  at  first  favorable  to  these 
ministers,  soon  became  their  bitter  enemy  :  while  Knox  of  Raphoe 
continued  their  friend  to  the  last.  Mr.  Livingston  says  that  the 
brethren  that  formed  this  meeting  lived  in  the  greatest  harmony, 
each  preferring  the  other  in  love. 


102  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER   VII. 

THE  EAGLE  WING OR  FIRST    ATTEMPT    AT    EMIGRATION  FROM 

IRELAND  TO  AMERICA,    1636. 

In  the  spring  of  the  year  1631,  the  presbyterians  of  Ulster, 
wearied  out  by  the  intolerance  of  Charles  I.,  and  Archbishop 
Laud,  and  the  consequent  exactions  of  the  ministers  of  the  crown, 
particularly  the  Lord  Deputy  Wentworth,  afterwards  Earl  of 
Stafford,  by  which  their  cup  of  bitterness  was  made  to  overflow, 
turned  their  eyes  to  the  new  settlements  in  the  wilds  of  America, 
The  Puritans  of  England,  who  were  contending  and  suffering  for 
the  same  rights  of  conscience,  had  planted  colonies  in  Massachu- 
setts, which  cheered  them  with  the  expectation  of  a  refuge  from 
the  ills  they  could  neither  be  freed  from,  nor  endure,  in  their  native 
land.  The  flourishing  colony  had  been  planted  at  Salem,  in  the 
year  1628,  and  had  been  even  more  successful  than  Plymouth. 
These  prosperous  efforts  to  secure  the  enjoyment  of  liberty  of 
conscience,  turned  the  attention  of  the  distressed  congregations  of 
Ireland  to  seek,  in  the  deeper  solitudes  of  distant  America,  what 
had  been  promised,  and  sought  for  in  vain,  in  depopulated  Ireland  ; 
or  enjoyed  only  while  they  reclaimd  the  desolations  of  the  pre- 
vious rebellion. 

The  ministers  that  had  come  over  from  Scotland,  whose  names 
have  been  enumerated,  had  not  attempted  to  form  a  Presbytery. 
The  whole  country  had  been  laid  off  into  parishes  and  bishoprics 
of  the  Church  of  England  ;  and  as  the  emigrants  from  England 
or  Scotland  found  their  residences,  they  were  consequently  in- 
cluded in  some  parish,  and  the  ministers  that  came  over  to  preach 
to  them  were  admitted  to  occupy  parish  churches,  and  enjoy  their 
own  forms  and  ceremonies.  Archbishop  Usher  was  most  mild 
and  tolerant  in  his  views  of  church  order  and  government ; 
and  so,  for  a  time  at  least,  were  some  of  his  bishops  ;  and  in  the 
different  Dioceses  of  Ulster  might  be  seen  priests  and  deacons  of 
the  Established  Church,  and  here  and  there  intermingled  a  Pres- 
byterian  or  Puritan  minister,  with  a  flock  of  their  own  peculiar 
i  creed  and  forms,  under  the  bishop's  supervision.  The  great 
revival  had  broken  up  some  of  this  quietness  and  order  that  had 


THE    EAGLE    WING.  103 

prevailed,  by  exciting  jealousies  between  the  favorers  and  opposers 
of  that  blessed  work  :  the  bishops  mostly  withdrew  their  favor 
and  protection,  and  were  ready  to  carry  into  effect  the  rigid  orders 
from  Laud  and  the  Deputy,  and  proceeded  to  silence  those  that 
would  not  conform  strictly  to  the  rites  and  ceremonies  of  the  esta- 
blishment, and  began  with  Blair  and  Livingston  :  but  by  the  good 
offices  of  Archbishop  Usher  these  men  were  restored  to  their 
ministry.  Their  enemies,  however,  made  representations  at  Court 
which  resulted  in  shutting  out  from  the  exercise  of  the  ministry, 
Blair,  Welch,  Livingston,  and  Dunbar. 

These  oppressed  ministers,  with  many  of  their  respective 
charges,  began  to  make  preparation  for  removal  to  America.  Two 
persons  were  appointed  delegates  to  visit  New  England,  the  Rev. 
John  Livingston  and  Mr.  William  Wallace,  and,  if  circumstances 
were  favorable,  to  choose  a  place  for  their  future  residence. 
They  proceeded  to  England  to  find  a  passage  to  America  ;  but 
some  unexpected  difficulties  caused  their  return  to  Ireland,  and 
prospects  in  Ireland  appearing  more  favorable,  the  project  was  for 
a  time  abandoned.  In  1634,  these  ministers,  who  had  been  re- 
stored to  their  office,  were  three  of  them  again  suspended,  and 
the  next  year  the  fourth,  Livingston,  shared  the  same  fate  ;  their 
only  crime  charged  was  their  opposition  to  Episcopal  forms. 
During  the  same  year  four  other  ministers  were  forbidden  the 
exercise  of  their  ministry  on  account  of  their  adherence  to  Pres- 
byterial  forms  ;  Brice,  who  was  amongst  the  earliest  that  visited 
Ireland,  and  after  a  laborious  ministry  of  twenty  years,  died  the 
next  year  after  his  suspension,  aged  sixty-seven  years, — Ridge, 
who  went  to  Antrim  in  1619,  and  had  been  most  laborious  and 
successful,  and  after  his  suspension  returned  to  Scotland,  and  died 
1637, — Cunningham,  who  had  gone  over  in  1622,  and  returning 
to  Scotland,  after  his  suspension,  died  in  1637, — and  Cohuort, 
minister  at  Oldstone,  where  the  great  Revival  began. 

Once  more  preparations  for  emigration  were  commenced,  and  a 
correspondence  opened  with  the  colonies  in  New  England.  Cotton 
Mather,  in  his  Magnolia,  tells  us,  Book  1st — "  That  there  were 
divers  gentlemen  in  Scotland,  who,  being  uneasy  under  the  eccle- 
siastical burdens  of  the  times,  wrote  on  to  New  England  the  in- 
quiries : — Whether  they  might  be  there  suffered  freely  to  exercise 
their  Presbyterial  church  government  ?  And  it  was  freely 
answered — that  they  might.  Thereupon  they  sent  over  an  agent, 
who  pitched  upon  a  tract  of  land  near  the  mouth  of  the  Merrimac 
River,    whither   they    intended   to   transplant   themselves.      But 


104  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

although  they  had  so  far  proceeded  m  their  voyage  as  to  be  half- 
seas  through,  the  manifold  crosses  they  met  withal,  made  them 
give  over  their  intentions  ;  and  the  providence  of  God  so  ordered 
it  that  some  of  these  very  gentlemen  were  afterwards  the  revivers 
of  that  well-known  Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  which  had  so 
great  an  influence  upon  the  nation."  There  is  one  error  in  this 
extract.  The  conclusion  would  naturally  be,  that  the  expedition 
was  from  Scotland ;  and  very  probably  Mather  understood  it  to 
be  from  that  country, — whereas,  the  company  sailed  from  the 
North  of  Ireland.  The  error  arose  undoubtedly  from  the  fact,  that 
the  correspondence  was  carried  on  from  Scotland,  and  the  agent 
was  a  Scotchman,  the  ministers  were  from  Scotland,  and  of  no 
small  eminence,  and  the  colonists  themselves  were  either  Scotch- 
men by  birth,  or  the  children  of  Scotchmen  reared  in  Ireland. 

The  deposition  of  their  ministers,  which  took  place  August  12th, 
1636,  hastened  the  preparations  for  emigration,  and  on  the  9th  of 
the  following  September,  the  Eagle  Wing,  a  vessel  of  one  hun- 
dred and  fifty  tons,  set  sail  from  Lockfergus  with  one  hundred  and 
forty  emigrants  prepared  for  the  voyage,  and  a  settlement  in  a 
new  country.  The  colonists  took  with  them  the  necessary  imple- 
ments for  carrying  on  fisheries,  and  also  a  considerable  amount  of 
merchandise  to  assist  them  by  traffic  to  meet  the  expenses  of  the 
voyage  and  necessities  of  the  new  settlement.  Among  the  emi- 
grants were  four  noted  preachers,  Robert  Blair,  John  Living- 
ston, James  Hamilton,  and  John  McClelland  :  all  afterwards 
promoters  of  the  cause  of  truth  in  Scotland  and  Ireland.  Among 
the  families  that  composed  the  company  were  the  names  Stuart, 
Agnew,  Campbell,  Summervil,  and  Brown.  Many  single  persons 
united  in  the  expedition,  and  with  them  sailed  Andrew  Brown,  a 
deaf  mute,  from  the  parish  of  Larne,  who  during  the  revival  had 
been  deeply  affected,  and  had  given  satisfactory  evidence,  by 
signs  connected  with  a  godly  life,  of  having  been  truly  converted. 
Like  the  voyagers  in  the  May  Flower,  this  devoted  people  met 
with  difficulties.  The  New  England  Memorial  traces  them  in 
the  former  case  to  the  knavery  of  the  shipmaster,  first  in  spring- 
ing the  leak,  then  in  landing  them  far  north  of  the  intended  har- 
bor ;  in  the  present  case  the  parties  concerned  referred  them  to 
the  providence  of  God. 

"  We  had,"  says  the  Rev.  John  Livingston  in  his  account  of 
the  voyage,  "  much  toil  in  our  preparation,  many  hindrances  in 
our  outsetting,  and  both  sad  and  glad  hearts  in  taking  leave  of  our 
friends.     At  last,  about  the  month  of  September,  1636,  we  loosed 


THE    EAGLE    WING.  105 

from  Lockfergus,  but  were  detained  some  time  with  contrary 
winds  in  Lock  Regan  in  Scotland,  and  grounded  the  ship  to 
search  for  some  leaks  in  the  keel  of  the  boat.  Yet  thereafter,  we 
set  to  sea,  and  for  some  space  had  fair  winds,  till  we  were  be- 
tween three  and  four  hundred  leagues  from  Ireland,  and  no  nearer 
the  banks  of  Newfoundland  than  any  place  in  Europe.  But  if 
ever  the  Lord  spoke  by  his  winds  and  other  dispensations,  it  was 
made  evident  to  us,  that  it  was  not  his  will  that  we  should  go  to 
New  England.  For  we  met  with  a  mighty  heavy  rain  from  the 
northwest,  which  did  break  our  rudder,  which  we  got  mended 
by  the  skill  and  courage  of  Captain  Andrew  Agnew,  a  godly 
passenger  ;  and  tore  our  foresail,  five  or  six  of  our  champlets,  and 
a  great  beam  under  the  gunner's  room  door  broke.  Seas  came 
in  over  the  round  house,  and  broke  a  plank  or  two  on  the  deck, 
and  wet  all  that  were  between  the  decks.  We  sprung  a  leak, 
that  gave  us  seven  hundred,  in  the  two  pumps,  in  the  half  hour 
glass.  Yet  we  lay  at  hull  a  long  time  to  beat  out  the  storm, 
till  the  master  and  company  came  one  morning  and -told  us  that  it 
was  impossible  to  hold  out  any  longer,  and  although  we  beat  out 
that  storm,  we  might  be  sure  in  that  season  of  the  year,  we  would 
foregather  with  one  or  two  more  of  that  sort  before  we  could 
reach  New  England. 

"  During  all  this  time,  amidst  such  fears  and  dangers,  the  most 
part  of  the  passengers  were  very  cheerful  and  confident ;  yea, 
some  in  prayer  had  expressed  such  hopes,  that  rather  than  the 
Lord  would  suffer  such  a  company  in  such  sort  to  perish,  if  the 
ship  should  break,  he  would  put  wings  to  our  shoulders,  and 
carry  us  safe  ashore.  I  never  in  my  life  found  the  day  so  short, 
as  at  all  that  time,  although  I  slept  some  nights  not  above  two 
hours,  and  some  not  at  all,  but  stood  most  part  in  the  gallery 
astern  the  great  cabin,  where  Mr.  Blair  and  I  and  our  families 
lay.  For  in  the  morning,  by  the  time  every  one  had  been  some 
time  alone,  and  then  at  prayer  in  their  several  societies,  and  then 
at  public  prayer  in  the  ship,  it  was  time  to  go  to  dinner ;  after 
that  we  would  visit  our  friends  or  any  that  were  sick,  and  then 
public  prayer  would  come,  and  after  that,  supper  and  family  ex- 
ercises. Mr.  Blair  was  much  of  the  time  sickly,  and  lay  in  the 
time  of  storms.  I  was  sometimes  sick,  and  then  brother  McClel- 
land only  performed  duty  in  the  ship.  Several  of  those  between 
deck,  being  thronged,  were  sickly ;  an  aged  person  and  one  child 
died,  and  were  buried  in  the  sea.  One  woman,  the  wife  of 
Michael  Calver,  of  Killinchy  parish,  brought  forth  a  child  in  the 


106  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ship.      I    baptized    it    on    Sabbath    following,   and    called    him 
Seaborn." 

The  report  of  the  master  and  company  filled  them  with  distress, 
— the  storm  was  upon  them  and  before  them ; — oppression  had 
driven  them  from  Ireland,  and  waited  their  return.  After  prayer, 
and  long  and  anxious  consultation,  they  agreed  to  return  ;  trusting 
in  the  good  providence  of  God  for  their  future  welfare.  The  next 
morning  as  soon  as  the  day  dawned,  the  ship  was  turned,  and 
they  made  for  Ireland.  On  the  third  of  November,  after  a  pros- 
perous sail,  they  came  to  anchor  in  Lockfergus,  the  place  of  their 
departure,  after  an  absence  of  about  eight  weeks,  cast  down  under 
this  providence  of  God,  and  anticipating  hostility,  ridicule  and 
suffering.  Having  sold  their  effects  in  preparation  for  the  voyage, 
and  having  vested  their  property  in  provision  and  stock  of  mer- 
chandize, suitable  for  their  expected  residence,  they  experienced 
great  loss  in  disposing  of  their  cargo,  and  reinvesting  the  proceeds 
in  things  suitable  to  their  emergency.  The  persons,  they  had 
hired  to  go  with  them  to  assist  in  fishing  and  building  houses, 
demanded  their  wages,  and  were  dismissed  at  great  disadvantage 
to  their  employers. 

Their  reception  by  their  friends, .  like  their  departure,  was 
mingled  with  "gladness  and  sorrow;" — by  their  enemies  with 
anxiety  and  disdain.  Their  friends  commiserated  their  calamity, 
and  rejoiced  in  their  safety.  Their  enemies  disliked  their  return, 
fearing  the  consequences,  and  were  for  a  time  divided  in  their 
opinion  how  they  should  be  treated.  Some  were  for  exercising 
greater  lenity ;  others  poured  out  their  ridicule  in  no  measured 
terms,  and  in  ballads,  and  notes  to  printed  sermons,  compared 
these  oppressed  and  disheartened  people  to  asses,  which  the  same 
vessel  had  a  little  before  brought  from  France, — and  their  religious 
ministrations  to  brayings  so  sad,  that  Neptune  had  stopped  their 
voyage,  and  sent  them  back  to  Ireland  to  be  improved. 

The  next  year,  1637,  the  ministers  finding  no  peace  in  Ireland, 
went  over  to  Scotland,  and  met  a  most  cordial  reception  from 
ministers  and  people.  Mr.  Blair  was  settled  at  Ayr;  Mr.  Living- 
ston at  Stranrear  ;  Mr.  Hamilton  at  Dumfries  ;  Mr.  Dunbar  at 
Caldir  in  Lothian ;  Mr.  McClelland  in  Kirkcudbright ;  Mr. 
Temple  in  Carsphain  ;  Mr.  Row  at  Dunfermline  ;  and  "Mr.  Robert 
Hamilton  at  Ballantises.  These  nine  were  zealous  promoters  of 
the  National  Covenant,  which  was  renewed  for  the  third  time  in 
Edinburgh,  1st  March,  1638.  Four  of  them  were  members  of 
the  famous  assembly  that  met  in  Glasgow,  in  November  of  the 


THE    EAGLE    WING.  107 

same  year,  and  took  an  active  part  in  the  doings  of  that  body,  by 
which  Prelacy  in  Scotland  was  abolished, — the  bishops  deposed, — 
and  Presbytery  re-established.  Those,  who  were  settled  on  the 
western  coast  of  Scotland,  kept  up  their  intercourse  with  Ulster  ; 
and  many  of  their  former  hearers  removed  to  Scotland  to  enjoy 
their  ministrations.  On  the  stated  communions,  great  numbers 
would  go  over  from  Ireland  to  enjoy  the  privileges  they  could  not 
have  at  home  ;  on  one  occasion  five  hundred  persons  went  over 
from  Down  to  Stranrear,  to  receive  the  sacrament  at  the  hands  of 
Mr.  Livingston.  At  another  time,  he  baptized  twenty  children 
brought  over  to  him,  for  that  purpose,  by  their  parents,  who  were 
unwilling  to  receive  the  ordinance  from  the  Prelatical  clergy. 

The  influence  which  this  company  of  emigrants  exercised  on 
Ireland,  and  ultimately  on  America,  is  incalculable.  It  is  scarcely 
possible  to  conceive,  that  any  situation  in  New  England  could 
have  afforded  them  such  a  theatre  of  action  as  the  province  of 
Ulster ;  perhaps  none  they  might  have  occupied  anywhere  in 
America,  even  in  founding  a  new  State,  could  have  afforded  such 
ample  exhibition  of  the  power  of  their  principles  and  godly  lives. 
There  had  been  a  revival,  a  great  revival  in  Ireland,  among  the 
emigrants  from  Scotland  and  their  children ;  but  as  yet,  no 
Presbytery  had  been  formed  ;  and  the  influence  of  the  Presbyte- 
rian Protestants  was  circumscribed,  and  their  principles  not  yet 
deep-rooted  for  permanency.  Had  this  colony  succeeded  in  find- 
ing an  agreeable  situation  in  America,  in  all  probability  so  many 
of  their  friends  and  countrymen  would  have  followed,  that  the 
North  of  Ireland  would  have  been  deserted  to  the  native  Irish,  or 
the  wild  beasts,  as  in  the  times  just  preceding  the  emigration  from 
Scotland.  This  company  of  men,  as  will  be  seen  in  the  subse- 
quent history,  were  the  efficient  instruments  in  the  hands  of  God, 
of  embodying  the  Presbyterians  of  Ireland,  of  spreading  their 
principles  far  and  wide,  and  marshalling  congregation  after  con- 
gregation, whose  industry  made  Ulster  blossom  as  the  rose.  The 
Presbyterians  became  the  balancing  power  of  Ireland.  "  You 
need  not" —  said  an  intelligent  physician  of  Petersburg,  Va.,  who 
is  familiar  with  Ireland,  and  does  not  claim  to  be  a  Presbyterian, 
— "  You  need  not  ask  when  you  arc  to  pass  from  the  Catholic- 
counties  to  those  of  the  Protestants.  You  will  see  and  feel  the 
change  in  everything  around  you." 

Had  the  principles  of  Usher  prevailed,  and  these  men  been 
permitted  to  labor  in  peace  in  their  parishes,  it  would  in  all  proba- 
bility have  been  long  before  a  Presbytery  had  been  formed  in  Ire- 


108  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

land  ;  and  when  formed  its  influence  and  number  of  churches 
would  have  been  really  less  than  they  were  in  1642,  the  year  the 
first  Presbytery  met.  The  intolerance  of  the  Court  and  their 
obedient  bishops  drove  these  men  out  of  the  churches  of  the 
establishment.  When  the  four  set  sail  in  1636,  for  America,  no 
faithful  Presbyterian  was  left ;  the  others  were  dead,  or  had  re- 
tired to  Scotland ;  all  bonds  were  broken  that  might  have  held 
them  in  connection  Avith  the  Episcopal  church.  The  tempest 
brought  them  back  to  do  a  work  in  Scotland  ;  and  the  rebellion 
and  consequent  massacre,  by  the  native  Irish,  opened  the  way  for 
their  successful  labors  in  Ireland,  and  for  founding  the  Irish  Pres- 
byterian church.  The  wrath  of  man,  and  the  tempests  of  the 
ocean,  together  work  the  wonderful  counsels  of  Almighty  God. 

After  the  lapse  of  some  two-thirds  of  a  century,  Ulster  began  to 
send  out  swarms  to  America ;  shipload  after  shipload  of  men 
trained  to  labor  and  habits  of  independence,  sought  the  American 
shores  ;  year  after  year  the  tide  rolled  on  without  once  ebbing  ; 
and  many  thousands  of  these  descendants  of  the  emigrants  from 
Scotland,  disdaining  to  be  called  Irish,  filled  the  upper  country  of 
Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  and  the  Carolinas.  Ulster,  in  Ireland,  has 
been  an  exhaustless  hive,  a  perennial  spring  ;  and  the  form  and 
fashion  of  its  emigrants  were  moulded  by  these  men,  whom  the 
storms  baffled  and  sent  back  to  do  a  work  for  Ireland  and  America. 
Livingston  and  Blair  lived  for  Posterity. 

In  1608,  Jamestown,  in  Virginia,  was  founded  by  a  small  com- 
pany from  England  ;  in  1620,  the  May  Flower  landed  her  little 
band  of  Puritans  on  Plymouth  rock  ;  in  1636,  the  Eaglewing  re- 
landed  her  company  at  Lochfergus  ;  and  some  few  years  after- 
wards King  Charles  forbade  the  sailing  of  the  vessel  that  should 
have  carried  away  from  England  the  Spirits  of  the  Revolution. 
Napoleon,  with  all  his  immense  hosts  of  savans  and  soldiers,  did 
not,  could  not  so  change  the  condition  of  the  world,  as  those  four 
bands  that,  collectively,  would  scarce  have  formed  a  regiment  in 
his  immense  army.  Principles,  not  men,  must  govern  the  world 
under  the  Providence  of  God. 

It  was  well  that  the  distressed  people  of  Ireland  turned  their 
thoughts  to  America  for  a  resting  place  ;  it  was  better  that  they 
embarked  for  the  wilderness,  as  it  manifested  an  enterprise  equal 
to  the  emergency  ;  but  it  was  better  still  that  God's  wise  provi- 
dence sent  them  back  to  labor  for  Ireland,  and  shut  them  up  to  the 
work  ;  and  last,  it  was  best  of  all,  that  they  laid  the  foundation  of 
that  church  which  may  claim  to  be  the  mother  of  the  American 
Presbyterian  Church,  the  worthy  child  of  a  worthy  mother. 


FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND.        109 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND. 

The  first  meeting  of  a  regular  Presbytery  in  Ireland  took  place  at 
Carrickfergus  on  Friday,  June  10th,  1642.  Previously  to  that 
time  the  ministers  in  Ireland,  who  promoted  the  Revival,  acted  on 
Presbyterial  principles,  though  by  law  of  England  under  the  juris- 
diction of  Bishops  of  the  Church  of  England.  At  the  Reforma- 
tion almost  the  entire  Irish  nation  were  Roman  Catholics  or  Pa- 
pists ;  and  the  majority  of  the  nation  are  to  this  day.  Henry  VIII. 
of  England  commenced  establishing  a  Protestant  national  church, ' 
and  Elizabeth  followed  up  the  design  ;  and  James  perfected  the 
plan  as  far  as  he  was  able.  Bishops  were  sent  over,  and  the  clergy 
were  appointed  to  parishes  and  supported  by  the  authority  of 
the  state  ;  yet  the  mass  of  the  people  remained  Papists,  and 
maintained  their  own  bishops  and  priests,  and  received  the  ordi- 
nances at  their  hands.  The  Scotch  emigrants  were  divided,  in 
their  settlements,  into  parishes  ;  or  rather,  the  boundaries  of  the 
old  parishes  remained,  and  clergy  were  supplied  by  the  state  to 
the  inhabitants,  of  whatever  country  or  religious  principles  they 
might  chance  to  be.  The  parishes  occupied  the  same  territory 
embraced  by  the  Papists  in  their  ecclesiastical  divisions  ;  and 
neither  the  Scotch  emigrants  nor  the  native  Irish  Papists  were 
permitted  by  law  to  enjoy  their  own  clergy,  or  their  own  religious 
ceremonies ;  and  both  were  sufferers  under  the  severities  of 
Charles  I.  and  Archbishop  Laud.  The  ministers  who  went  over 
to  Ireland  to  preach  to  the  Scotch,  a  short  account  of  whom  has 
been  given,  were  presented  to  parishes  and  admitted  regularly  ; 
some  were  ordained  by  the  Bishop,  in  conjunction  with  other  clergy 
as  a  Presbytery,  objecting  more  or  less  strenuously  to  his  prelati- 
cal  character. 

A  convocation  of  the  Irish  clergy  was  summoned  in  1615,  be- 
fore any  number  of  ministers  from  Scotland  had  visited  the  island. 
As  the  Irish  Church  had  always  been  independent  of  that  of  Eng- 
land, it  was  thought  necessary  to  declare  its  faith,  and  settle  its 
form  of  government.  The  only  statutes  in  force  in  the  kingdom 
respected  solely  the  celebration  of  public  worship,  which  was  made 


110  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

conformable  to  that  of  the  English  churches.  The  English  ritual 
was  followed  ;  but  the  Irish  Church  had  not  adopted  a  Confession 
of  Faith.  Dr.  James  Usher,  Professor  of  Divinity  in  the  College 
of  Dublin,  and  afterwards  Archbishop,  was  appointed  to  draw  up 
a  Confession ;  this  task  he  performed  to  the  approbation  of  the 
Convocation  and  the  Parliament,  and  also  to  the  satisfaction  of  the 
Kino"  and  Council.  The  Confession  was  digested  into  no  less  than 
nineteen  sections,  and  one  hundred  and  four  propositions  ;  and  was 
as  decidedly  Calvinistic  as  that  afterwards  drawn  up  by  the  West- 
minster Divines.  The  Pope  was  pronounced  Antichrist ;  the  doc- 
trine of  Absolution  condemned ;  the  morality  of  the  Sabbath 
strongly  asserted,  in  opposition  to  the  King's  well  known  senti- 
ments. The  reason  for  this  was, — that  the  intolerance  practised 
in  England  induced  many  of  the  Puritans  to  emigrate  to  Ireland  ; 
and  there,  the  King,  glad  to  have  them  out  of  England,  gave  them 
preferments.  Heylin  says  : — "  They  brought  with  them  hither 
such  a  stock  of  Puritanism,  such  a  contempt  of  bishops,  such  a 
neglect  of  the  public  Liturgy,  and  other  offices  of  the  Church, 
that  there  was  nothing  less  to  be  found  among  them  than  the  go- 
vernment and  forms  of  worship  established  in  the  Church  of  Eng- 
land !  He  wras  understood  also  as  implying  the  validity  of  ordina- 
tions out  of  the  English  Church  as  truly  as  those  performed  by 
Diocesan  Bishops.  His  words  are  : — "  And  those  we  ought  to 
judge  lawfully  called  and  sent,  which  be  chosen  and  called  to  this 
work,  by  men,  who  have  public  authority  given  them,  in  the 
Church,  to  call  and  send  ministers  into  the  Lord's  vineyard." 

Robert  Blair,  one  of  the  most  eminent  of  those  who  went  to 
Ireland,  from  Scotland,  refused  to  be  ordained  by  the  Diocesan 
Bishop  alone,  or  by  him  in  conjunction  with  Presbyters,  in  any  other 
light  than  as  a  Presbyter.  With  that  express  understanding,  as 
he  asserts,  he  was  ordained  by  the  Bishop  and  other  clergy. 

John  Livingston,  another  laborer  of  great  eminence,  objected 
to  ordination  by  the  Bishop  of  the  established  church,  and,  as  the 
Bishop  of  Down,  in  which  his  parish  was,  had  resolved,  in  obe- 
dience to  the  court  of  England,  to  require  submission  to  the  rules 
of  the  Established  Church,  he  applied  to  Knox,  Bishop  of  Raphoe, 
taking  with  him  letters  of  introduction  from  Lord  Claneboy,  and 
others.  He  says  Knox  received  him  kindly,  and  said  he  knew  his 
errand,  and  that  he  was  aware  he  had  scruples  against  Episcopacy, 
as  Welch  and  others  had,  and  then  proceeded  to  say,  "  that  if  I 
scrupled  to  call  him  my  Lord,  he  cared  not  much  for  it ;  all  that 
he  would  desire  of  me  was,  that  I  should  preach  at  Ramelton  the 


FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND.        Ill 

first  Sabbath,  because  they  got  there  but  few  sermons,  and  that 
he  would  send  for  Mr.  William  Cunningham,  and  two  or  three 
other  neighboring  ministers  to  be  present,  who,  after  sermon, 
should  give  me  imposition  of  hands  ;  but,  although  they  perform- 
ed the  work,  he  behoved  to  be  present ;  and  although  he  durst  not 
answer  it  to  the  State,  he  gave  me  the  book  of  ordination,  and  de- 
sired that  anything  I  scrupled  at,  I  should  draw  a  line  over  it  on 
the  margin,  and  that  Mr.  Cunningham  should  not  read  it.  But  I 
found  that  it  had  been  so  marked  by  others  before,  that  I  need  not 
mark  amjthingr  Thus  it  appears  Presbyterian  ordination  was 
introduced  before  the  revival,  and  was  acted  on  during  that  great 
excitement  out  of  which  grew  the  Irish  Presbyterian  Church. 

But  the  rigor  of  James,  towards  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  and 
the  severity  of  Charles  I.,  and  Archbishop  Laud,  in  their  en- 
deavors to  enforce  conformity  to  the  Established  Church,  had  become 
more  and  more  oppressive,  till,  after  the  failure  of  the  attempt  at 
emigration  in  the  Eagle  Wing,  the  Presbyterian  clergy  left  the 
country  in  1637,  and  retired  to  Scotland.  The  congregations  to 
which  they  had  ministered  were  left,  without  instruction,  except 
what  they  received  from  their  more  eminent  laymen,  who  conduct- 
ed public  worship  for  the  people  that  would  come  together  ;  and 
many  were  inclined  to  do  this,  notwithstanding  all  the  efforts  of 
Lord  Stafford,  the  Deputy  in  Ireland,  to  make  them  conform  to 
the  Established  Church.  By  the  petition  sent  by  these  Presby- 
terians to  the  Long  Parliament,  we  learn  that  after  all  efforts  for 
their  destruction,  they  continued  a  numerous  people.  The  re- 
vival had  subsided,  but  religion  had  not  died  away  ;  and  although 
King  Charles  had  forgotten  the  obligations  of  his  father  to  them, 
they  had  not  forgotten  their  obligation  to  the  great  head  of  the 
church,  or  lost  their  love  for  his  truth. 

The  introduction  of  the  Scottish  army  into  Ulster,  to  quell  the 
rebellion  that  broke  out  October  13th,  1641,  changed  the  face  of 
affairs  in  these  congregations,  and  was  the  means  of  forming  a 
presbytery,  and  restoring  pastors  to  these  suffering  flocks.  The 
Papists  had  made  insurrection  and  furious  rebellion,  with  design  of 
cutting  off  the  Protestants,  and  restoring  the  ceremonies  and  wor- 
ship of  the  Church  of  Rome.  Their  plans  were  laid  for  concerted 
action,  and  the  energy  with  which  they  were  carried  out  may  be 
judged  from  the  fact  that  in  a  few  months,  at  the  lowest  calculation 
40,000,  and  as  some  Catholic  writers,  and  some  Protestants  also, 
assert,  150,000  persons  were  brought  to  an  untimely  end.  These 
sufferers  were  Protestants  ;  but  a  small  part  only  were  Presbyle- 


112  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

rians,  for  the  nobles  and  clergy  of  that  denomination  had  fled  to 
Scotland  some  time  before,  to  escape  the  persecutions  and  impo- 
sitions of  the  Established  Church.  This  rebellion  was  at  first 
encouraged  by  King  Charles,  as  an  event  that  would  operate  fa- 
vorably upon  his  interests";  and  both  he  and  the  Papists  agreed  in 
sparing  the  Scotch  Presbyterians, — probably  because  they  had  not 
declared  for  the  parliament  against  the  king.  The  flight  of  the 
Scotch  in  1637,  and  onwards,  was  pre-eminently  their  safety; 
they  escaped  from  the  unreasonable  Prelates  first,  and  then  from 
the  massacre  of  the  Papists.  God  knows  how  to  deliver  his 
people.  The  company  of  emigrants  in  the  Eagle  Wing  must  not 
reach  America,  neither  must  it  be  cut  off  in  this  massacre  ; 
it  had  a  great  and  glorious  work  to  accomplish,  and  that  work 
was  to  be  done  in  Ireland,  and  the  bright  day  of  its  accomplish- 
ment should  break  after  a  most  tempestuous  night. 

After  many  horrible  massacres  perpetrated  during  the  winter  of 
1641-2,  Major  General  Monro  was  sent  over  from  Scotland  in  the 
spring,  with  a  force  of  2,500  men  ;  with  these,  in  conjunction  with 
the  Scotch  and  other  Protestants  in  Ulster,  after  many  battles  and 
sieges,  he  succeeded  in  crushing  the  rebellion.  The  Lagan  forces 
(or  those  from  the  northern  part  of  Donegal)  had  signalized  them- 
selves before  the  arrival  of  the  Scotch  army,  and  continued  their 
brave  and  enterprising  efforts  after  that  event,  stimulating  them  by  an 
honorable  rivalry,  to  a  speedy  accomplishment  of  their  mission,  the 
suppression  of  the  rebellion.  The  Scotch  forces  were  from  seven  dif- 
erent  regiments,  each  of  which  had  its  chaplain.  The  Rev.  Hugh 
Cunningham  was  attached  to  Glencairn's  regiment;  Rev.  Thomas 
Peebles,  to  Eglenton's  ;  Rev.  John  Bairol,  to  Argyle's  ;  Rev.  James 
Simpson,  to  Sinclair's ;  Rev.  John  Scott,  to  Home's ;  Rev.  John  Aird, 
to  Lindsay's,  or  Monro's  ;  and  the  Rev.  John  Livingston,  who  was 
so  much  beloved  in  Ireland,  was  sent  along  with  the. army  by  the 
Council.  These  ministers  were  active  and  fervent  in  their  preach- 
ing to  the  army ;  and  in  the  parishes  near  the  encampment,  where 
their  labors  were  highly  appreciated,  "  as  cold  waters  to  a  thirsty 
soul,"  "  and  the  shadow  of  a  great  rock  in  a  weary  land."  The 
country  was  entirely  without  a  Protestant  clergy ;  the  Scotch  had 
been  driven  off  before  the  rebellion,  and  the  Prelates  and  their 
clergy  fled  from  the  murderous  hands  of  the  Papists.  After  the 
rebellion  was  crushed,  public  attention  was  turned  to  procuring 
pastors  and  spiritual  guides  for  the  vacant  parishes  ;  and  the  incli- 
nation of  the  people  was  speedily  manifested  in  the  efforts  to  obtain 
ministers.     Those  who  had  been  Presbyterians  previously,  re- 


«* 


FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND.       113 

mained  so  still ;  and  many  others  were  now  inclined  to  unite  with 
them,  very  few  of  the  laity  being  attached  to  the  Prelates  or  the 
Established  Church.  Those  who  had  fled  to  Scotland  during  the 
rebellion  returned,  and  all  declared  for  Presbytery  ;  and  many  that 
had  been  inclined  to  Episcopacy,  were  disgusted  with  the  transac- 
tions in  England,  and  united  with  the  Presbyterians  in  settling  their 
church  in  a  formal  manner  as  a  distinct  church.  The  plan  of 
Archbishop  Usher  would  probably  have  been  acted  out  in  Ireland, 
but  for  the  intolerant  disposition  and  principles  of  Laud  and  his 
master,  King  Charles.  Whether  under  any  circumstances  it  could 
prosper,  can  never  be  satisfactorily  determined  till  a  more  complete 
trial  be  made  than  the  few  years  of  imperfect  action  during  the  re- 
vival in  Ireland. 

The  chaplains  first  formed  regular  churches  in  four  of  the  regi- 
ments,— Argyle's,  Eglenton's,  Glencairn's  and  Home's — choosing 
the  most  grave  and  pious  men  for  elders,  and  setting  them  apart 
to  their  office  in  due  form,  according  to  the  Scotch  Confession. 
On  the  10th  of  June,  1642,  five  ministers,  Messrs.  Cunningham, 
Peebles,  Baird,  Scott  and  Aird,  Messrs.  Livingston  and  Simpson 
being  necessarily  absent,  with  an  elder  from  each  of  the  four 
sessions,  met  and  constituted  a  Presbytery  in  the  army.  Mr. 
Baird  preached  from  the  latter  part  of  the  51st  Psalm — "  Do  good 
in  thy  good  pleasure  unto  Zion ;  build  thou  the  walls  of  Jerusa- 
lem." Mr.  Peebles  was  chosen  stated  clerk,  and  held  the  office 
till  his  death,  a  period  of  about  thirty  years.  The  ministers  pro- 
duced their  acts  of  admission  to  their  regiments,  and  the  elders 
their  commissions  from  the  Sessions ;  and  the  Presbytery  was 
constituted  in  due  form.  As  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  was 
speedily  known  in  the  country,  applications  poured  in  from  all 
sides  to  be  received  into  their  connexion,  and  to  obtain  the  regu- 
lar ordinances  of  the  gospel ;  and  the  ministers  proceeding  to  visit 
the  congregations,  in  a  short  time  there  were  sixteen  regular 
sessions  formed  in  important  parishes. 

By  the  prudent  and  zealous  efforts  of  these  seven  ministers  the 
foundations  of  the  Presbyterian  church  were  relaid  in  Ulster  pro- 
vince, in  conformity  with  the  model  of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
From  this  period  the  complete  organization  of  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  Ireland  takes  its  date,  and  the  history  of  her  ministers, 
her  congregations,  and  her  ecclesiastical  councils,  can  be  traced 
in  uninterrupted  succession  ;  the  principles  then  adopted,  and  the 
form  of  worship  then  introduced,  continue  to  this  day  ;  and  the 
government  and  discipline  then   adopted  continue  in  all  essential 


114  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

points  unaltered,  and  all  are  to  be  found  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  in  the  United  States,  to  which  they  have  descended  as 
from  parent  to  child. 

The  people   agreed  to  petition  the   General  Assembly  of  the 
Church   of  Scotland,  which  was  to  meet  in  July,  for  supplies, 
and  various  papers  were   drawn  up  and  signed  by  the  inhabitants 
of    different  parishes,   requesting  that  those   ministers   who  had 
formerly  labored  among  them  might  be  sent  back  to  them,  and 
others  along  with  them,  to  fill  the   numerous  vacancies  in  that 
spiritually  desolate  province.     The  Assembly  listened  kindly  to 
these  petitions,  and  appointed  a   commission  of  six  ministers  to 
visit  Ireland  and  instruct  and  regulate  congregations,  and  ordain 
to  the   ministry  such  as  might  be  found  properly  qualified.     The 
ministers  were  to  go  two  and  two  on  a  tour  of  four  months.     Mr. 
Robert  Blair  and  James  Hamilton  for  the   first  four  months,  Ro- 
bert Ramsay  and  John  McClellan  for  the  next  four,  and  Robert 
Baillie   and  John   Livingston  for  the  last  four.     These  brethren 
were  everywhere  received  with  joy ;  congregations   were   organ- 
ized on  Presbyterian  principles,  members  received  into  the  church, 
and  the  sacraments  of  baptism  and  the  Lord's  supper  administered. 
Their  preachings  were  incessant,  and  the   congregations  large  ; 
people  renounced  prelacy,  and  those  who  had  taken  the   Black 
oath,  as  it  was  termed,  by  which  they  solemnly  engaged  not  to 
resist  the  king,  were  called  to  public  renunciation  and  repent- 
ance.    No  person  was  admitted  to  the  privileges   of  the  church 
who  did  not  possess  a  competent  degree   of  knowledge,  or  who 
did  not  fully  approve   of  her  constitution  and  discipline,  or  was 
unable  to  state  the  grounds   of  that  approbation.     The  congrega- 
tions took  possession  of  the  parish   churches   that  were   standing 
vacant,  and  likely  to  remain  so,  and  many  who  had  been  episco- 
pally   ordained,   came  and  joined  the  Presbytery,   but  were  not 
recognized  as  members  until  they  had  been  regularly  called  and 
inducted  to  the  charge  of  some  congregation.     Thus  those  min- 
isters who  had  first  been  led  to  go  to  Ireland  because   they  could 
not  exercise  their  ministry  in   Scotland,  and  after  being  success- 
ful in  Ireland  were  driven  back  to  Scotland,  now  came   again  to 
Ireland,  having  been  driven  back  from  America  by  a  tempest, 
and  set  up    the   Presbyterian   church   which   has   flourished   so 
gloriously,  and  been  the  parent  church   of  so  many  in  America, 
particularly  in  Pennsylvania,  Virginia,  North  and  South  Carolina. 
During  the  year  1643,  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant  was 
adopted  by  the  Westminster  Assembly  and  the  British  Parliament 


FORMATION    OF    PRESBYTERIES    IN    IRELAND..  115 

on  the  one  side,  and  the  Scottish  nation  on  the  other.  This 
League  and  Covenant  was  presented  to  the  Presbyterians  in 
Ulster,  and  during  the  year  1644  was  adopted  by  great  numbers 
in  Down,  Derry,  Antrim,  Donegal,  and  parts  of  Tyrone  and 
Fermanagh.  The  English  parliament  on  the  16th  of  October, 
1643,  requested  the  Scotch  commissioners  to  take  steps  that  the 
Covenant  "  be  taken  by  all  the  officers,  soldiers,  and  Protestants 
of  their  nation  in  Ireland."  After  some  .correspondence  and  va- 
rious plans,  this  important  business  was  committed  to  those  mi- 
nisters who  had  been  appointed  by  the  assembly  to  visit  Ireland, 
the  Rev.  Messrs.  James  Hamilton,  John  Weir,  William  Adair, 
and  Hugh  Henderson.  The  civil  and  ecclesiastical  authorities  of 
Edinburgh  made  choice  of  the  first  of  these,  Mr.  Hamilton,  mi- 
nister of  Dumfries,  to  be  the  bearer  of  the  Covenant ;  the  others 
were  associated  for  the  work  of  presenting  it  to  the  churches. 
In  sending  word  to  the  forces  in  Ireland  of  their  appointment,  - 
these  ministers  say,  "  As  our  cause  is  one,  and  has  common 
friends  and  enemies,  so  we  must  resolve,  with  God's  assistance, 
to  stand  or  fall  together."  They  reached  Carrickfergus  the  last 
of  March,  and  were  all  present  at  the  Presbytery  held  there  on 
the  1st  of  April,  1644.  "  The  Covenant  was  taken  on  the  4th  of 
that  month,  with  great  solemnity,  in  the  church  at  Carrickfergus, 
by  Monro  and  his  officers,  and  in  ten  days  afterwards,  by  all  his 
soldiers.  Major  Dalzel  (afterwards  so  well  known  in  the  dis- 
tresses in  Scotland)  was  the  only  persou  who  refused."  It  pro- 
duced the  same  effects  in  Ulster  it  had  in  other  parts  of  the  king- 
dom, ascertaining  and  uniting  the  friends  of  liberty,  and  inspiring 
them  with  fresh  confidence  in  the  arduous  struggle  in  which  they 
were  engaged,  and  diffused  through  the  country  a  strong  attach- 
ment to  the  Presbyterian  cause  ;  and  what  is  of  higher  moment, 
it  revived  the  cause  of  true  religion,  so  that  from  this  period  is 
reckoned  the  second  Reformation. 
9m  Notwithstanding  the  difficulties  and  trials  to  which  the  Presby- 
terians in  Ireland  were  exposed,  on  one  side  by  the  authorities  of 
.  King  Charles,  and  on  the  other  by  the  parliament,  which  ultimate- 
ly brought  the  king  to  the  block,  »the  church  continued  to  prosper. 
In  the  year  1647,  there  were  about  thirty  ordained  Presbyterian 
ministers  in  Ulster,  besides  some  chaplains  of  regiments ;  on  ac- 
count of  some  severe  laws  which  drove  many  to  Scotland,  there 
were,  in  the  year  1653,  but  about  twenty-four ;  and  again  in  the 
year  1657,  by  the  relaxation  of  the  laws,  there  were  about  eighty 
in  the  different  counties  of  the  province  of  Ulster. 


116  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

In  the  year  1655,  it  was  agreed  there  should  be  what  is  called 
Meetings,  in  Down,  Antrim,  and  Route  with  Lagan,  consisting 
of  the  contiguous  brethren  who  met  for  consultation,  putting  over 
the  more  important  matters  that  required  action,  to  the  regular 
meeting  of  the  whole  Presbytery.  Two  years  after,  these  meet- 
ings were  increased  to  five,  Route  being  separated  from  Lagan, 
and  Tyrone  being  added ;  and  in  a  little  time  there  became  Jive 
Presbyteries,  by  dividing  the  original  Presbytery ;  which  number 
continued  till  1702,  when  four  more  were  added,  making  the  whole 
number  nine.  At  this  present  time  there  are  twenty-four  in  the 
Synod  of  Ulster.  From  the  close  connection  between  Synod  and 
Presbytery  in  Ireland,  it  probably  happened  that  the  first  Presby- 
terian Synod  in  the  United  States,  made  by  the  division  of  a  large 
Presbytery,  frequently  performe.d  acts  which  are  now,  by  common 
consent,  performed  only  by  the  Presbytery  or  at  their  order.  At  the 
time  of  the  Restoration,  in  1660,  there  were  in  the  province  of 
Ulster  not  less  than  seventy  regularly  settled  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters ; — about  eighty  congregations,  comprising  not  less  than  one 
hundred  thousand  souls.  If  the  statement  of  one  of  their  ene- 
mies be  true,  the  population  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  min- 
isters must  have  much  exceeded  that  number  ;  he  says — "  in  the 
north  (of  Ireland)  the  Scotch  keep  up  an  interest  distinct  in  garb 
and  all  formalities,  and  are  able  to  raise  40,000  fighting  men  at  any 
time."  This  number  of  fighting  men  would  require  a  greater  popu- 
lation than  100,000.  That  they  would  raise  an  army  and  fight 
for  their  lives,  their  enemies  knew  from  fatal  experience. 

From  six  ministers,  in  about  forty  years  of  constant  resistance 
to  oppression,  under  the  two  Charleses,  and  of  their  predecessor, 
James  I.,  the  congregations  had  increased  to  about  eighty ;  and 
the  preachers  to  nearly  the  same  number,  though  repeatedly  driven 
off  and  kept  in  banishment  for  years,  on  every  return  increasing 
in  numbers  and  influence.  This  perseverance  of  a  harassed 
people  impresses  the  mind  with  the  strong  conviction,  that  they 
felt  in  their  consciences,  that  their  principles  of  civil  and  religious 
liberty  were  the  truth  of  God,  and  imperishable.  In  1689,  the 
time  the  Toleration  Act  came  in  force,  there  were  in  the  five 
Presbyteries  about  one  hundred  congregations,  eighty  ministers 
and  eleven  licentiates.  The  vine  of  the  Lord's  planting  grew, 
though  "  the  boar  out  of  the  wood  did  pluck  at  her,"  and  they  that 
passed  by  did  trample  her  down. 

The  Presbytery  of  Lagan,  embracing  the  northern  part  of  the 
county  of  Donegal,  principally  that  between  the  Foyle  and  the  Swilly, 


FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND.        117 

and  containing  in  the  year  1660  thirteen  members,  all  of  whom 
were  ejected  by  Charles  II.  1661,  is  peculiarly  full  of  interest  to 
the  American  Church,  as  that  body  which  licensed  the  Rev. 
Francis  Makemie,  and  afterwards  ordained  him,  for  the  purpose 
of  sending  him  to  America,  the  first  Presbyterian  Preacher 
that  ever  visited  the  western  continent.  This  honor  belongs  un- 
disputedly  to  the  Church  in  Ireland,  and  the  Presbytery  of  Lagan, 
Those  in  New  England  who  have  been  called  Presbyterians  were 
not  formed  into  regular  Presbyteries  as  in  Scotland  and  Ireland ;  but 
had  lay  elders  and  held  Presbyterian  sentiments.  The  first  preach- 
ers and  the  first  regular  congregations  were  from  Ireland,  which 
poured  forth  emigrants  in  swarms  all  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth 
century.  It  may  be  gratifying  to  many  to  know  the  names  of 
those  thirteen  ejected  ministers  of  the  Lagan,  worthy  of  everlasting 
remembrance.  King  Charles  began  the  work  of  ejectment  in 
Ireland  under  Jeremy  Taylor  in  1661,  giving  the  front  rank  in  this 
ecclesiastical  martyrdom  to  the  Presbyterians  of  Ulster.  The 
Puritans  of  England  were  called  to  the  same  trial  in  August,  1662, 
when  about  2,000  ministers  were  deprived  of  their  parishes ;  and  the 
same  scene  of  trial  and  heroic  suffering  was  enacted  the  following 
October  in  Scotland.  The  ministers  of  the  Presbytery  of  Lagan 
were,  Robert  Wilson,  Robert  Craighead,  Adam  White,  William 
Moorcraft,  John  Wool,  William  Sample,  John  Hart,  John  Adam- 
son,  John  Crookshanks,  Thomas  Drummond,  Hugh  Cunningham, 
Hugh  Peebles,  and  William  Jack.  The  first  three  survived  the 
happy  revolution  of  1688,  when  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  as- 
cended the  throne  of  England ;  and  enjoyed  the  toleration  proclaimed 
in  1689. 

The  Rev.  Thomas  Drummond,  of  Ramelton  in  Donegal,  in- 
troduced Mr.  Makemie  to  the  Presbytery  as  a  member  of  his 
charge,  and  worthy  of  their  notice.  In  the  year  1681, — the  same 
year  that  four  of  the  members  of  the  Presbytery -were  put  in  con- 
'  <finement,  for  keeping  a  fast,  after  having  been  fined  £20  each,  to 
be  kept  in  confinement  till  they  should  give  bonds  not  to  offend 
again,  and  after  eight  months'  confinement  were  released, — he  was 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel.  These  four  ministers  were  William 
Trail,  James  Alexander,  Robert  Campbell,  and  John  Hart ;  three 
of  them  were  members  introduced  after  the  ejectment  by  Jeremy 
Taylor  in  1661.  The  Church  in  Ireland  was  like  the  Israelites  in 
bondage, — the  more  it  was  oppressed,  the  more  it  grew.  From  the 
minutes  of  this  Presbytery  it  appears  that  Capt.  Archibald  Johnson 
had,  as  early  as  August,  1678,  applied  for  a  minister  for  Barbadoes  ; 


118  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  in  1680  Col.  Stevens  of  Maryland  applied  for  a  minister  to 
settle  in  that  colony;  and  Mr.  Makemie  was  designated  as  the  man. 
As  the  clerk  of  the  Presbytery  and  three  others  were  imprisoned 
in  1681,  there  is  a  deficiency  in  the  minutes,  and  the  meetings 
of  Presbytery  being  for  some  time  irregular,  no  record  is  pre- 
served of  the  time  or  place  of  his  ordination,  though  in  all  proba- 
bility it  took  place  in  1681  or  1682.  This  fixes  the  time  of  his 
removal  to  America,  whether  to  Barbadoes  first,  or  to  Virginia  and 
Maryland,  for  he  labored  in  all  these  places,  as  is  now  satisfactorily 
ascertained.  He  led  the  way  for  Presbyterian  ministers  to  Ame- 
rica, and  was  prominent  in  forming  the  first  Presbytery,  that  of 
Philadelphia,  in-1706,  a  Presbytery  which  has  since  spread  out  into 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  United  States  of  America. 

No  little  anxiety  has  been  felt  and  expressed  about  the  original 
component  parts  of  this  first  Presbytery,  and  what  interpretation 
of  the  Confession  of  Faith  they  may  have  given.  The  dis- 
cussion has  been  animated,  and  from  the  circumstantial  evidence 
collected,  the  inference  general  that  they  did  put  a  strict  con- 
struction on  the  Articles  of  our  Faith.  The  facts  just  related  about 
Francis  Makemie  and  the  Presbytery  that  ordained  him,  are  suffi- 
cient to  justify  our  belief  that  the  man  that  took  the  Solemn  League 
and  Covenant,  as  the  candidates  of  the  Presbyteries  in  Ireland  then 
did,  put  a  strict  construction  on  the  Articles  of  the  Confession  ; 
and  the  following  facts,  that  the  year  before  the  Presbytery  was 
formed,  he  brought  over,  from  a  visit  to  his  native  land,  two  minis- 
ters from  the  province  of  Ulster,  John  Hampton  and  George 
M'Nish,  who  formed  part  of  the  first  Presbytery, — men  educated  as 
he  had  been,  in  trouble,  and  made  to  choose  Presbytery  in  the  face 
of  great  opposition  and  suffering, — will  set  the  matter  at  rest. 
Three  other  ministers  soon  followed.  It  is  not  likely  that  such  a 
man  as  Makemie,  with  two  others  of  like  spirit,  would  have 
agreed  to  form  a  doubtful  Presbytery,  to  please  Mr.  Andrews  and 
the  Church  in  Philadelphia  provided  they  wished  such  a  Presby- 
tery, of  which  there  is  no  evidence  ;  as  there  were  ministers 
enough  to  form  a  decided  and  strict  one,  without  going  to  Phila- 
delphia, the  church  of  which  city  was  weaker  than  the  church  at 
Snow  Hill  in  Maryland. 

The  solemn  League  and  Covenant  first  framed  by  John  Craig, 
and  called  Craig's  Confession,  or  the  first  National  Covenant  of 
Scotland,  and  subscribed  by  the  leaders  of  the  people,  December 
3d,  1557;  and  subscribed  by  King  James  and  household,  and  the 
nation  generally  in  1581  :  enlarged  and  signed  again  in  1588  :  and 


FORMATION  OF  PRESBYTERIES  IN  IRELAND.         119 

again  in  1638  enlarged,  and  made  to  consist  of  three  parts — the 
first,  the  old  Covenant  by  Craig, — the  second,  condemning  Popery, 
by  Johnston  of  Warriston, — third,  the  application  of  the  whole  to 
the  present  time,  by  Alexander  Henderson  ;  and  signed  by  the 
people  at  large  in  1638  :  and  again  remodelled  by  Henderson  and 
adopted  in  August,  1643  :  and  also  by  the  Westminster  Divines  and 
the  Parliament  of  England,  September  25th  of  the  same  year;  and 
in  the  spring  of  1644  by  the  Churches  of  Ireland;  and  continuing 
to  this  day  a  binding  instrument  in  Scotland,  and  making  a  part  of 
their  printed  Confession  and  Discipline,  and  also  acknowledged  as 
binding  to  this  day  by  a  large  number  of  the  descendants  of  the 
Scotch  and  Irish  emigrants  to  America, — leaves  no  rational  doubt 
what  views  of  the  Confession  of  Faith  those  that  lived  so  near  the 
times  of  the  grand  national  subscription  of  1643  and  1644  must 
have  had.  In  matters  of  conscience  they  had  been  accustomed  to 
resist  the  king  ;  they  bound  themselves  by  this  solemn  oath  to  do 
it ;  and  this  solemn  League  was  inseparably  connected  with  their 
doctrinal  creed  and  form  of  church  government,  which  were 
strictly  Presbyterian. 


120  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

THE    POLITICAL    SENTIMENTS    OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH    EMIGRANTS. 

The  religious  sentiments  of  the  emigrants  having  been  given,  as 
Calvinistic  and  Presbyterian,  for  the  holding  of  which  they  had 
suffered,  and  were  ready  to  suffer  again,  we  will  glance  at  their 
political  principles,  which  had  no  small  influence  in  their  emigra* 
tion  and  location,  and  after  life, — forming  one  of  the  three  grand 
motives  to  cross  the  waters, — Religion,  Politics,  and  Property. 

I.  In  the  truest  sense  of  the  word  they  were  loyal.  They, 
and  their  ancestors,  were  well  convinced  of  the  importance  of  a 
regular  and  firm  government ;  and  were  true  to  their  promises  and 
their  allegiance.  James  I.  chose  the  Scotch  for  the  colonizing 
Ireland,  for  two  reasons  :  first,  from  their  habits  they  were  more 
likely  to  overcome  the  difficulties  of  a  settlement ;  and  second, 
from  their  principles  of  allegiance,  most  likely  to  make  Ireland 
what  he  wished  it — pacific  and  prosperous.  In  the  first  he  was 
not  disappointed  ;  and  his  hopes  of  the  second  were  crossed  only 
as  he  and  his  successors  failed  to  extend  to  the  emigrants  that 
protection  he  had  promised,  and  was  well  able  to  give.  They 
always  maintained  the  conceded  authority  of  the  king,  as  supreme 
ruler  according  to  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  by  which 
they  held  themselves  bound  from  the  time  it  was  taken  in  1644, 
till  they  left  Ireland  about  a  century  afterward  ;  and  some  of  their 
posterity  in  America  profess  to  feel  its  binding  power  in  some 
respects  to  this  day.  They  opposed  those  violent  measures,  in 
parliament  and  out,  which  led  to,  or  hastened,  the  king's  death. 
They  desired  a  reform  of  abuses,  and  a  fulfilment  of  the  Solemn 
League,  on  the  part  of  the  king,  and  designed  a  fulfilment  of  their 
own  promises,  and  had  not  been  found  deficient,  in  any  emer- 
gency. They  expected  the  king  to  be  honest  while  they  were 
loyal. 

Their  views  of  the  parliamentary  authority,  after  the  king's 
death,  are  well  expressed  by  one  of  their  ministers,  on  examination 
before  the  military  authority  of  the  Parliament,  at  Carrickfergus, 
in  1650.  Being  required  to  take  the  Oath,  or  Engagement  of 
submission  to  Parliament,  which  was  to  be  in  place  of  the  Solemn 


POLITICAL    SENTIMENTS    OF     THE     SCOTCH-IRISH.  121 

League  of  obedience  to  the  king ;  the  parliament  having,  by  en- 
actment, made  it  high  treason  to  acknowledge  a  government  by- 
King,  Lords,  and  Commons  : — "  We  must  be  convinced,"  said 
this  minister  in  the  name  of  the  rest,  "  that  the  power  which  now 
rules  England  is  the  lawful  parliamentary  authority  of  that  king- 
dom." Col.  Venable  replied  :  "  They  call  themselves  so  !"  The 
minister  replied  :  "  It  seems  to  us  a  strange  assertion  that  they 
are  a  parliament  because  they  say  so  ;  or  are  a  power  because 
they  place  power  in  themselves.  Kings  and  other  magistrates  are 
called  by  the  ordinance  of  man,  because  they  are  put  in  their 
office  by  men.  Men  are  called  to  the  magistracy  by  the  suffrage 
of  the  people,  whom  they  govern ;  and  for  men  to  assume  unto 
themselves  power,  is  mere  tyranny  and  unjust  usurpation.'''' 

They  would  rather  be  governed  by  a  lawful  king  than  an  usurp- 
ing or  doubtful  parliament ;  by  one  they  chose,  even  though  he 
might  be  a  tyrant  in  disposition,  than  by  a  company  they  had  not 
elected,  though  they  might  do  some  things  well.  They  fully  be- 
lieved that  the  liberties  of  the  subject  might  consist  with  the  regal 
authority  ;  that  the  privileges  they  asked  were  no  infringement  of 
the  necessary  rights  of  the  crown,  and  that  their  enjoyment  would 
render  the  government  more  stable,  entrenching  it  in  the  hearts  of 
the  people,  in  whose  affections  all  governments  rest  at  last. 

II.  They  claimed,  and  persisted  in  claiming,  the  privilege  of 
choosing  their  own  ministers,  or  religious  instructors,  as  an  inhe- 
rent right  that  could  not  be  given  up,  and  any  civil  or  religious 
liberty  be  preserved.  Here  was  the  ground  of  all  the1' difficulty  of 
the  Presbyterians  in  Ireland  ;  they  would  choose  their  own  minis- 
ters,— and  with  the  choice  of  ministers  was  of  course  connected 
the  forms  of  religious  worship,  and  the  articles  of  their  religious 
creed  ;  a  difficulty  that  was  removed  only  by  first  emigrating  to 
America,  and  then  toiling  through  the  Revolution.  They  desired 
in  Ireland  what  the  Scotch  are  now  asking  in  Scotland,  the  liberty  - 
of  choosing  their  own  ministry.  The  Irish  conceded  what  the 
Scotch  concede  now,  that  the  king  might  prescribe  the  way  the 
minister  should  be  supported  ;  they  were  willing  to  be  taxed  in 
large  or  small  parishes,  but  insisted  on  the  liberty  of  choosing  their 
own  teachers,  and  deciding  on  the  forms  with  which  they  would 
worship  God.  They  yielded  to  the  civil  authority  all  honor  and 
service  and  money,  and  demanded  protection  for  their  persons  in 
the  enjoyment  of  their  property  and  religion.  Their  folly,  if  folly 
it  might  be  called,  in  their  circumstances,  was,  to  expect  that 
freedom  in  religion,  under  a  monarchy,  which  never  had  been 


122  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA. 

found  ;  and  which  never  has  existed  under  any  government  except 
in  these  United  States.  These  people  had  advanced  far  in  the  know- 
ledge of  human  rights ;  were  in  the  high  road  to  republicanism,  with- 
out, perhaps,  being  aware  of  the  lengths  they  had  already  advanced; 
that,  judging  from  their  answer  to  the  parliamentary  committee 
— that  men  are  called  to  the  magistracy  by  the  suffrage  of  the 
'people — they  were  already  republicans.  Perhaps  they  did  not  fully 
understand  liberty  of  conscience  ;  or  if  they  did,  as  there  is  some 
reason  to  believe,  they  had  not  room  or  opportunity  for  its  exer- 
cise ;  hemmed  in  to  choose  one  form  of  religion  as  the  paramount 
one,  they  of  course  chose  their  own  for  the  religion  of  the  whole. 
How  they  would  have  acted  had  the  power  of  the  State  been  at 
their  command,  it  is  in  vain  perhaps  to  conjecture. 

They  also  demanded  that  their  ministers  should  be  ordained  by 
Presbyteries,  and  not  by  prelatic  bishops  ;  the  apparent  yielding 
of  some  things  under  the  influence  of  Archbishop  Usher,  soon  being 
turned  to  uncompromising  sternness,  by  the  exercise  of  arbitrary 
power  to  "compel  them  to  conform.  The  principle  of  the  house 
of  Stuart  was,  "  no  Prelate,  no  King ;"  that  of  the  Presbyterian 
Irish  was,  "  the  king  without  Prelates  ;  all  sufferings  at  home  rather 
than  Prelates  ;  exile  rather  than  Prelates." 

III.  Strict  discipline  in  morals,  and  full  instruction  of  youth  and 
children.  These  were  connected  with  the  Presbyterian  body  in 
Scotland  ;  were  transplanted  to  Ireland,  there  cherished,  and  were 
the  foundation  principles  on  which  their  society  was  built ;  were 
taken  to  America  by  the  emigrants,  and  have  been  characteristic 
of  the  Scotch-Irish  settlements  throughout  the  land.  Children 
were  early  taught  to  read,  and  exercised  in  reading  the  Bible  every 
day  ;  and  became  familiar  with  the  word  of  God  in  the  family,  in 
the  school,  and  in  the  house  devoted  to  the  worship  of  the 
Almighty  God.  Their  moral  principles  were  derived  from  the 
words  of  him  who  lives  and  abides  for  ever  ;  and  the  commands  of 
God,  and  the  awful  retributions  of  eternity,  gave  force  to  these 
principles,  which  became  a  living  power,  and  a  controlling  influ- 
ence. The  time  has  but  just  passed,  when  the  schoolmaster  from 
Ireland  taught  the  children  of  the  Valley  of  Virginia,  and  the 
upper  part  of  the  Carolinas,  as  they  taught  in  the  mother  country, 
— when  the  children  and  youth  at  school  recited  the  Assembly's 
shorter  Catechism  once  a  week,  and  read  parts  of  the  Bible  every 
day.  The  circle  of  their  instruction  was  circumscribed  ;  but  the 
children  were^taught  to  speak  the  truth,  and  defend  it, — to  keep  a 


POLITICAL    SENTIMENTS    OF    THE    SCOTCH-IRISH.  123 

conscience  and  fear  God, — the  foundation  of  good  citizens,  and 
truly  great  men. 

Wherever  they  settled  in  America,  besides  the  common  schools, 
they  turned  their  attention  to  high  schools  or  academies,  and  to 
colleges,  to  educate  men  for  all  the  departments  of  life,  carrying  in 
their  emigration,  the  deep  conviction,  that  without  sound  and 
extensive  education,  there  could  be  no  permanence  in  religious  or 
civil  institutions,  ^>r  any  pure  and  undebased  enjoyments  of  domes- 
tic life.  The  religious  creed  of  the  emigrants  made  part  of  their 
politics,  so  far  as  to  decide  that  no  law  of  human  government 
ought  to  be  tolerated  in  opposition  to  the  expressed  will  of  God. 
It  was  on  this  ground,  their  fathers  in  Ireland  resisted  the  arbitrary 
exactions  of  the  Charleses  and  the  Jameses,  whom  they  consi- 
dered lawful  rulers,  whom  they  had  recognized  in  the  solemn 
League,  and  whom  they  were  bound,  and  willing  to  obey  in  all 
things  that  did  not  involve  violation  of  conscience  by  sinning 
against  God. 

Whether  they  were  aware  how  far  their  principles  actually 
led  them,  before  they  came  to  America,  is  doubtful ;  they 
had  acknowledged  that  the  authority  of  human  government 
was  from  the  same  divine  hand  that  made  the  world,  fashion- 
ing the  fabric  of  human  society  to  require  the  exercise  of 
good  and  wholesome  laws  for  the  promotion  of  the  greatest 
good  ; — and  had  also  claimed  the  right  of  choosing  those  who 
should  frame  and  execute  these  laws  ; — contending  that  rulers, 
as  well  as  the  meanest  subject,  were  bound  by  law.  These  prin- 
ciples, modified  by  experience,  and  digested  into  extended  form, 
are  the  republican  principles  of  the  Scotch-Irish  in  America.  On 
matters  of  national  policy,  and  the  smaller  concerns  of  political 
organizations,  they  have  differed  in  opinion  and  differ  still, 
and  will  probably  differ  for  ever,  from  the  nature  of  the 
human  mind  in  the  independent  exercise  of  thought.  But  on  the 
great  principles  of  freedom  of  conscience  in  matters  of  religion — 
on  the  supremacy  of  the  laws — on  the  choice  of  rulers  by  the  ex- 
pressed will  of  a  free  people — and  the  undisturbed  enjoyment  of 
life,  limb  and  property,  in  submission  to  constituted  government — 
there  never  has  been,  and  probably  never  will  be,  any  division  of 
sentiment  or  feeling.  In  the  blood  shed  on  the  Alamance,  and  in  the 
declaration  of  independence  in  Mecklenburg,  a  casual  observer 
must  see,  it  was  opposition  to  tyranny,  and  not  the  execution  of 
the  laws  of  a  just  government,  that  urged  the  people  on.  A  people 
educated  as  they  had  been  for  generations,  and  placed  in  circum- 


124  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

stances  calculated  to  provoke  independence  of  action,  could  not 
have  acted  differently,  and  retain  their  identity  of  character. 

The  siege  of  Deny  was  undertaken  and  sustained  with  its  in- 
numerable and  unmeasured  sufferings,  in  opposition  to  a  king  they 
had  repudiated,  and  a  hierarchy  they  abhorred ;  and  to  defend  the 
government  from  which  they  hoped  for  freedom  and  quietness,  and 
the  exercise  of  their  religious  principles  and  forms  without  tyran- 
nical interference.  It  is  not  probable  that  these  m$ n, — and  some  of 
the  men  of  Derry  emigrated  to  America,  and  laid  their  bones  south  of 
the  Potomac, — or  their  immediate  descendants,  who  lived  in  the  days 
of  the  American  Revolution  (and  there  were  many  such),  would 
hold  back  their  hearts  and  hands,  and  belie  the  great  principles  that 
had  done  so  much  for  Protestant  England,  and  ultimately  so  much 
for  America.  Tyrannical  government  of  colonies  of  such  people 
must  produce  a  revolution  ;  and  had  Governor  Martin  studied  the 
character  and  circumstances  of  the  people  he  marched  to  subdue, 
with  any  feelings  of  justice  and  humanity,  he  would  first  have  re- 
dressed their  grievances,  and  then  bound  to  his  government  a  wil- 
ling, grateful  people,  and  at  least  for  a  time  stayed  the  progress  of 
revolution  in  North  Carolina,  and  by  the  wholesome  example,  de- 
layed, if  not  prevented  it,  throughout  the  United  Provinces. 

The  Presbyterians  in  Carolina  have  ever  been  a  law-loving,  law- 
abiding  people  ;  differing  sometimes  about  the  extent  of  powers 
to  be  granted  to  magistrates,  all  unite  in  reverence  for  the  laws 
enacted  by  the  regular  authorities  under  the  adopted  Constitution. 
They  have  always  felt  it  was  better  to  endure  some  evils  than  en- 
counter the  horrors  of  a  revolutionary  war ;  but  they  have  always 
felt  it  better  to  endure  all  the  protracted  miseries  of  a  revolution- 
ary struggle  than  fail  to  enjoy  liberty  of  person,  property,  and  con- 
science. Their  ideas  of  religious  liberty  have  given  a  coloring  to 
their  political  notions  on  all  subjects  ;  perhaps  it  is  more  just  to 
say,  have  been  the  foundation  of  their  political  creed.  The  Bible 
has  been  their  text-book  on  all  subjects  of  importance  ;  and  the 
principles  of  the  Bible  carried  out  will  produce  a  course  of  action 
like  the  emigration  of  the  Scotch-Irish  to  America, — and  their  re- 
sistance to  tyranny,  in  the  blood  shed  on  the  Alamance,  and  their 
Declaration  of  Independence  at  Charlotte. 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR.   125 


CHAPTER  X. 

THE  SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  THE  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR  ; 
AND  THE  REVEREND  JAMES  CAMPBELL. 

The  time  of  the  settlement  of  the  first  Scotch  families  upon  the 
river  Cape  Fear,  is  not  known  with  exactness.  There  were  some 
at  the  time  of  the  separation  of  the  province  into  North  and  South 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1729.  In  consequence  of  disabilities  in  their 
native  land,  the  enterprising  Scotch  followed  the  example  of  their 
relations  in  Ireland,  and  sought  refuge  and  abundance  in  America ; 
and  some  time  previous  to  the  emigration  from  the  province  of  Ulster 
to  the  Yadkin,  numerous  families  occupied  the  extended  plains 
along  the  Cape  Fear,  in  that  part  of  Bladen  county,  now  Cumber- 
land. From  records  in  possession  of  the  descendants  of  Alexan- 
der Clark,  it  appears  that  he  came  over  and  took  his  residence  on 
the  river  in  the  year  1736,  and  that  a  "  ship  load"  of  emigrants 
came  over  with  him.  It  also  appears  that  he  found  "  a  good  many" 
Scotch  settled  in  Cumberland  at  the  time  of  his  arrival,  amongst 
whom  was  Hector  McNeill,  called  Bluff  Hector,  from  his  resi- 
dence near  the  bluffs  above  Cross  Creeks,  or  Fayetteville,  and 
John  Smith,  with  his  two  children,  Malcolm  and  Janet,  his  wife, 
Margaret  Gilchrist,  having  died  on  the  passage  up  the  river. 

Alexander  Clark  came  from  Jura,  one  of  the  Hebrides.  His 
ancestors,  particularly  his  grandfather,  had  suffered  much  in  the 
wars  that  had  desolated  Scotland,  and  fell  heaviest  on  the  Presby- 
terians. Being  constrained  to  flee  for  his  life,  his  grandfather  took 
two  of  his  sons  and  went  to  Ireland,  and  saw  many  trials  and  suf- 
ferings, which  were  brought  to  a  close  by  the  battle  of  the  Boyne, 
that  decided  the  fate  of  the  British  dominions.  Returning  to 
Scotland  after  the  peace,  he  sought  his  family  ;  leaving  the  vessel, 
he  ascended  a  hill  that  overlooked  his  residence,  and  gazed  in  sad- 
ness over  the  desolation  that  met  his  eye  ;  to  use  his  own  words, 
"  but  three  smokes  in  all  Jura  could  be  seen."  Not  a  member  of 
his  family  could  be  found  to  tell  the  fate  of  the  rest.  They  had 
all  perished  in  the  persecutions.  He  returned  to  Ireland  to  find 
his  cup  of  bitterness,  overflowing  as  it  was,  made  still  more  bitter 


126  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

by  the  death  of  one  of  his  two  sons.  After  some  time  he  return- 
ed, and  spent  the  remainder  of  his  days  in  Jura,  having  for  his 
second  wife  one  whose  sufferings  had  been  equal  to  his  own.  Her 
infant  had  been  taken  from  her  arms,  its  head  severed  from  its  body 
in  her  presence,  and  used  by  a  ruffian,  twisting  his  hand  in  its  hair, 
to  beat  the  mother  on  the  breast  till  she  was  left  for  dead.  Gilbert, 
the  only  surviving  child  of  his  first  wife,  returned  with  his  father  to 
Jura,  and  there  lived  and  reared  a  family.  One  of  his  (Gilbert's) 
sons,  Alexander,  married  Flora  McLean,  and  reared  four  sons  and 
four  daughters,  and  when  his  eldest  son  Gilbert  was  sixteen  years 
of  age,  removed  to  America,  and  settled  in  Cumberland  county, 
on  the  Cape  Fear.  Some  of  the  descendants  of  Keneth  Clark, 
half  brother  of  Gilbert,  came  to  America.  From  this  stock  arose 
numerous  families  in  the  south  and  west. 

When  Alexander  Clark  emigrated  to  America,  he  paid  the  pas- 
sage of  many  poor  emigrants,  and  gave  them  employment  till  the 
price  was  repaid.  Many  companies  of  Scotchmen  came  to  Ame- 
rica in  a  similar  way,  some  person  of  property  paying  their 
passage,  and  giving  them  employ  upon  their  lands  until  they  were 
able  to  set  up  for  themselves. 

Could  the  history  of  families  be  traced  out  with  certainty,  there 
is  little  doubt  that  vague  traditions  of  sufferings  and  trials  from 
the  hands  of  the  Catholics,  would  prove  to  have  been  derived  from 
as  sad  realities  as  are  found  in  the  family  of  the  Clarks.  Almost 
without  exception  these  Scotchmen  were  Presbyterians,  who  held 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  and  the 
Form  of  Government  and  Discipline  now  in  use  in  Scotland.  And 
for  their  creed  they  were  willing  to  suffer ;  for,  as  little  as  liberty 
of  conscience  was  understood  at  that  time,  the  Scotch  had  found 
that  yielding  their  religious  creed  to  authority  was  giving  up  them- 
selves to  hopeless  tyranny  ;  and  through  many  political  mistakes 
they  held  the  palladium,  their  Confession  of  Faith  and  Form  of 
Government,  with  an  unwavering  spirit. 

More  than  sixty  years  had  passed  from  the  decisive  battle  of 
the  Boyne,  July  1st,  1690,  in  which  the  forces  of  James  II.  were 
entirely  routed  by  William  III.,  Prince  of  Orange,  and  the  royal 
fugitive  James  took  refuge  in  Paris,  abandoning  his  throne  to  his 
rival,  when  his  grandson  Charles  Edward  began  to  make  pre- 
parations for  a  descent  upon  England.  From  his  very  cradle  he 
was  inspired  with  an  unquenchable  desire  to  regain  the  throne  of 
his,  ancestors  ;  of  this  he  talked  by  day  and  dreamed  by  night, 
and  in  his  delusive  plan  was   encouraged  by  the   thoughtless  and 


SETTLEMENT    OF    THE    SCOTCH    ON    RIVER    CAPE    FEAR.       127 

the  imaginative,  till  lie  came  to  believe  that  the  principal  men  in 
the  kingdom  were  discontented  with  the  reigning  house  of  Han- 
over, and  desirous  of  seeing  a  male   descendant  of  the  house  of 
Stuart  on  the  throne.     After  much  solicitation  he  obtained  some 
encouragement  from  the  King  of  France,  but  no  public  acknow- 
ledgment either  of  the   present  enterprise   or  the   validity  of  his 
claim.     On  the  16th  of  July,  a  day  remarked  by  some  as  fatal  to 
his  family,  in  1745,  he  landed  on  the  coast  of  Lochaber,  in  Scot- 
land, with  some  money,  a  few  stands   of  arms,  and  scarce  an  at- 
tendant, relying  on  the  national  feelings  of  the  Scotch,  whom  he 
expected  to  rally  around  his  standard.     Of  the  rising  in  his  favor, 
or  rebellion  against  the   constituted  authorities  of  the  kingdom, 
which  followed,  an  account  may  be  found  in  any  extended  history 
of  England  or  of  Europe,  sufficient  to  satisfy  a  general  reader. 
The  Pretender  to  the  crown  of  England,  Prince  Charles  Edward, 
soon  discovered  that  while  the  Scotch  loved  his  family  from  their 
hearts,  as  their  own  royal  house,  the  Lowlanders  had  become  so 
attached  to  the  reigning  house,  or  satisfied  with  their  government, 
that  no  solicitations  could  engage  them  in  a  hasty  rebellion  against 
George  II. ;  and  that  among  the  Highlanders,  the  most  powerful 
chiefs  were  either  so  connected  with  the  government  as  to  be  alto- 
gether averse  to  any  attempt  to  shake   its  peace   and  security,  or 
were  so   convinced   of  its  stability  as   to   consider  any  efforts  to 
regain  the  crown  to  their  own  royal  house  but  a  feeble  rebellion. 
The  head  of  the  Makenzies,  and  also  the  head  of  the  McLeods, 
were   members   of  parliament ;  the   head   of  the  McDonalds,  the 
strongest  and  most  numerous  of  the   clans  that  had  favored  the 
father  and  grandfather  of  Prince   Charles  Edward,  was  entirely 
opposed  to  a  rising,  or  insurrection,  or  rebellion,  having  no  hope 
of  final  success.     In  their  view  neither  time  nor  circumstance 
was  propitious  ;  nor  were  they  prepared  to  say  that  any  govern- 
ment they  might  hope  for,  under  the  house   of  Stuart,  would  be 
more  favorable  to  Scotland  and  the  united  kingdom  than  the  do- 
minion of  the  reigning  family. 

Lord  Lovat  declared  for  him,  and  with  him  were  united  some 
of  the  feebler  noblemen  ;  some  of  the  smaller  clans  in  the  High- 
lands unanimously  raised  the  standard  for  the  Pretender  ;  and 
many  of  the  young  men  of  the  clans  of  the  McDonalds,  the 
McLeods,  the  Makenzies,  and  others  whose  leaders  would  not 
favor  the  enterprise,  gave  way  to  the  impulse  of  national  enthusi- 
asm and  chivalric  enterprise,  and  joined  his  ranks.  For  a  time  it 
is  well  known  that  he  was  successful,  and  on  his  march  towards 


128  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  spread  terror  through  the  country,  and 
struck  alarm  in  the  cabinet  of  King  George.  Whether  his  success 
had  reached  its  boundary  and  necessarily  subsided  into  misfortune 
and  calamity,  or  whether  his  delays  and  revelries  wasted  the 
golden  hours  of  enterprise,  and  suffered  the  rising  enthusiasm  of  the 
nation,  warmed  for  a  young  prince  claiming  his  ancestors'  throne, 
to  grow  cool,  his  tide  of  success  soon  changed,  and  he  retired, 
whether  wisely  or  unwisely,  first  to  the  borders  of  Scotland,  and 
then  to  the  northern  part,  and  took  possession  of  Inverness. 
The  disposition  to  declare  for  their  royal  house  was  spreading  in 
Scotland,  and  could  he  have  maintained  his  post  in  England,  or 
have  delayed  a  battle  for  a  time,  the  mass  of  the  nation  would 
have  taken  arms  in  his  cause.  On  the  16th  of  April,  1746,  he 
fought,  a  few  miles  north  of  Inverness,  against  the  Duke  of  Cum- 
berland, the  disastrous  battle  of  Culloden ;  and  with  his  defeat 
his  hopes  of  empire  vanished.  Dismissing  his  followers,  whose 
hopes  and  courage  were  better  than  his  own,  he  wandered  a  fu- 
gitive among  the  mountains  and  crags,  and,  never  again  rallying 
his  forces,  sought  his  safety  in  secresy  and  flight. 

His  followers  were  taken  captive  in  great  numbers  ;  three  no- 
blemen, after  summary  trial,  perished  on  the  scaffold  ;  one  of  them. 
Lord  Lovat,  in  his  eightieth  year,  exclaiming  with  his  latest  breath, 
"  Dulce  et  decorum  est  pro  patria  mori."  The  English  army  rav- 
aged with  fire  and  sword  all  that  part  of  Scotland  that  had  favored 
the  prince.  The  men  were  hunted  down  like  wild  beasts,  and 
shot  on  the  smallest  resistance  ;  the  huts  were  burned  over  the 
heads  of  the  women  and  children,  and  the  cattle  and  provisions 
were  carried  away  or  destroyed.  The  very  appearance  of  rebellion, 
and  in  many  places  even  of  population  itself,  was  extinguished  in 
the  Highlands  before  the  Duke  of  Cumberland  returned  to  London. 
Yet  in  all  this  misery  of  the  people,  and  the  keen  scrutiny  of  the 
soldiers,  the  prince  finally  escaped.  In  his  wanderings  he  experi- 
enced all  the  variety  of  dangers  and  hair-breadth  escapes  that  can 
be  imagined  from  the  efforts  of  a  chivalrous  young  man  whose 
greatest  errors  and  misfortunes  had  sprung  from  the  success  of  his 
gallantry  among  the  ladies  of  his  court  and  country, — and  a  people 
rough  and  untutored,  but  loyal  to  a  proverb,  and  though  poor,  too 
staunch  to  be  bribed  by  the  offer  of  £30,000  to  deliver  up  the 
fugitive  whose  hiding-places  were  known  to  many  and  could  easily 
be  guessed  at  by  multitudes.  During  the  five  months  of  his  wan- 
derings,, no  less  than  fifty  individuals  were  in  possession  of  his 
person,  many  of  whom  had  been  opposed  to  the  rising  in  his  favor, 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR.    129 

from  the  conviction  of  its  uselessness,  and  had  suffered  themselves 
to  be  drawn  into  the  rebellion  by  the  enthusiasm  of  their  nation 
for  their  own  royal  house. 

Many  pleasing  instances  of  heroic  devotion  to  the  prince  in  his 
misfortunes  are  related  to  the  everlasting  honor  of  the  Highlands. 
Immediately  after  the  battle  of  Culloden,  he  took  refuge  in  Ross- 
shire  ;  and  to  save  him  from  the  hot  pursuit  of  the  soldiers,  his 
adherents  and  friends  not  only  fought,  but  suffered  themselves  to 
be  slain  that  he  might  escape.  One  gentleman,  always  known  as 
opposed  to  the  rebellion,  being  apprehended  for  aiding  him  in  his 
necessity,  pleaded  before  his  judges — "  I  only  gave  him  what  nature 
seemed  to  require,  a  night's  lodging  and  an  humble  repast.  And 
who  among  my  judges,  though  poor  as  I  am,  would  have  sought 
to  acquire  riches  by  violating  the  rights  of  hospitality  in  order  to 
earn  the  price  of  blood  ?"  This  generous  plea  gained  him  his  dis- 
mission with  applause.  Another  by  the  name  of  Kennedy,  who 
often  exposed  his  life  for  his  prince,  and  though  poor,  despised  the 
large  reward  offered  for  betraying  the  royal  fugitive,  was  some 
time  after  seized  at  Inverness  and  executed  on  the  charge  of  steal- 
ing a  cow.  At  the  place  of  his  execution  he  pulled  off  his  bonnet, 
and  looking  round  upon  the  assembly,  exclaimed,  "  I  give  most 
hearty  thanks  to  Almighty  God  that  I  never  proved  false  to  an  en- 
gagement of  any  kind  ;  that  I  never  injured  a  poor  man ;  and  never 
refused  to  share  whatever  I  had  with  the  stranger  and  those  in 
want." 

On  the  return  of  the  army  under  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  a 
large  number  of  prisoners  were  taken  along,  and  after  a  hasty  trial 
by  a  military  court,  publicly  executed.  Seventeen  suffered  death 
at  Kennington  Common,  near  London ;  thirty-two  were  put  to 
death  in  Cumberland ;  and  twenty-two  in  Yorkshire.  This  was 
probably  done  by  way  of  vengeance  and  alarm.  But  kinder 
thoughts  prevailed  with  his  Majesty  George  II. ;  and  a  large  num- 
ber were  pardoned,  on  condition  of  their  emigrating  to  the' planta- 
tions, after  having  taken  the  solemn  oath  of  allegiance.  This  is 
the  origin  of  the  large  settlements  of  Highlanders  on  Cape  Fear 
River.  For  a  large  number  who  had  taken  arms  for  the  Pretender, 
preferred  exile  to  death,  or  subjugation  in  their  native  land ;  and 
during  the  years  1746  and  1747,  with  their  families  and  the  fami- 
lies of  many  of  their  friends,  removed  to  North  Carolina  and  settled 
along  the  Cape  Fear  River,  occupying  a  large  space  of  country  of 
which  Crosscreek,  afterwards  Campbelton,  now  Fayette ville,  was 
the  centre.     Probably  the  report  from  those  who  had  settled  along 

9 


130  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

this  river,  of  the  mild  winters,  the  open  forests,  the  abundant  cane- 
brakes  and  wild  grass,  turned  the  attention  of  these  emigrants  to 
this  part  of  America,  where  lands  were  abundant  and  cheap.  Per- 
haps, too,  the  royal  authority  was  exerted  in  fixing  a  location  for 
the  pardoned  exiles,  that  Carolina  might  have  a  hardy  race  of 
industrious  people  to  occupy  her  waste  lands,  increase  her  popula- 
tion and  her  revenue  to  the  royal  coffers.  This  wilderness  become 
a  refuge  to  the  harassed  Highlanders  ;  and  shipload  after  ship- 
load landed  at  Wilmington  in  1746  and  1747.  The  emigration 
once  fairly  begun  by  royal  authority  and  clemency,  was  carried  on 
by  those  who  wished  to  improve  their  condition,  and  become 
owners  of  the  soil  upon  which  they  lived  and  labored  ;  and  in  the 
course  of  a  few  years  large  companies  of  industrious  Highlanders 
joined  their  countrymen  in  Bladen  county,  North  Carolina.  Their 
descendants  are  found  in  the  counties  of  Cumberland,  Bladen, 
Sampson,  Moore,  Robeson,  Richmond  and  Anson,  all  of  which 
were  included  in  Bladen  at  the  time  of  the  first  emigration ;  and 
are  a  moral,  religious  people,  noted  for  their  industry  and  economy, 
perseverance  and  prosperity ;  forming  a  most  interesting  and  im- 
portant part  of  the  State.  Their  present  descendants  are  to  be 
found  everywhere  in  the  South  and  West. 

The  religious  principles  of  these  emigrants  have  been  better 
known  and  more  generally  understood,  and  better  expressed,  by 
writers  of  American  history,  whether  sectional  or  general,  than 
those  of  the  people  who  took  possession  of  the  upper  country,  and 
acted  so  nobly  in  the  Revolution  ;  and  better,  perhaps,  than  those 
of  any  other  section  of  the  State  in  its  earlier  years.  The  religion 
of  the  Scotch  Church  is  known  to  the  world ;  it  is  the  religion  of 
the  nation.  The  religion  of  Ireland  is  part  Protestant  and  part 
Papist ;  the  predominant  being  of  the  Church  of  Rome,  and  the 
Protestant  being  divided  between  the  Presbyterian  and  the  Church 
of  England.  To '  say  a  company  of  emigrants  are  from  Ireland 
does  not  decide  either  the  political  or  religious  creed ;  to  say  they 
are  from  Scotland,  in  general,  decides  both.  In  the  former  case 
we  inquire  for  their  birth-place  and  their  creed ;  in  the  latter, 
we  take  it  for  granted  we  know  what  their  creed  is,  unless  we  are 
warned  to  the  contrary. 

From  the  time  of  the  introduction  of  the  Christian  religion  into 
Scotland  the  bias  of  the  national  mind  has  been  to  the  creed  and 
forms  of  Presbytery.  The  Culdees  were  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses Presbyterians  ;  they  held  strenuously  to  the  parity  of  the 
clergy ;  had  but  one  ordination  ;  and  governed  the  Church  by  a 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR.    131 

Council  of  Presbyters.  Popery  for  a  time  did  obtain  the  ascend- 
ency in  Scotland,  all  the  time  struggling  against  the  spirit  of  the 
nation  that  demanded  independence  in  religion.  But  from  the  time 
of  John  Knox,  there  has  been  no  doubt  respecting  the  religious 
forms  or  the  creed  desired  by  the  great  body  of  the  people.  The 
National  Covenant  adopted  and  signed  publicly  in  1638,  and  re- 
peated afterwards,  and  the  Confession  of  Faith,  which  has  been 
used  now  more  than  two  hundred  years  by  the  Presbyterians  in 
Scotland,  England,  and  Ireland,  and  about  a  century  and  a  half  in 
America,  leave  no  doubt  what  their  views  of  church  government, 
church  order,  and  belief,  were.  The  fact  that  many  of  them  had 
borne  arms  for  the  Pretender,  a  Papist  sent  over  by  the  instigation 
of  the  Pope  and  his  adherents,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing 
Popery  once  more  into  England,  is  easily  and  very  truly  accounted 
for  on  other  feelings  and  principles  than  any  sympathy  in  reli- 
gious belief,  of  which  it  is  known  there  was  none. 

No  minister  of  religion  accompanied  the  first  emigrants  in  1746 
and  1747;  nor  is  it  known  that  any  came  with  any  succeeding 
company  till  Lthe  year  1770,  when  the  Rev.  John  McLeod  came 
direct  from  Scotland  and  ministered  to  them  for  some  time,  though 
he  was  not  the  first  preacher.  This  fact,  that  no  minister  of  reli- 
gion came  with  these  people,  many  of  whom  were  pious,  and  all 
of  whom  were  accustomed  to  attend  on  public  worship,  cannot 
easily  be  accounted  for ;  and  it  had  an  unhappy  effect  upon  the  emi- 
grants and  upon  their  children.  Without  public  ministrations  of 
the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  a  sense  of  religion  will  soon  begin  to 
pass  away  from  the  public  mind  ;  and  the  fire  will  be  kept  burning 
only  on  here  and  there  a  private  altar.  The  wonder  is  that  in  the 
circumstances  of  these  colonists  the  sense  of  religion  was  so  well 
maintained  under  the  ministrations  and  labors  of  one  solitary 
preacher,  James  Campbell,  who  pursued  his  laborious  course  alone 
among  the  outspreading  neighborhoods  in  what  is  now  Cumberland 
and  Robeson,  from  1757  to  1770. 

This  worthy  evangelist,  the  Rev.  James  Campbell,  was  born  in 
Campbelton,  on  the  peninsula  of  Kintyre,  in  Argyleshire,  Scotland. 
Of  his  early  history  little  is  known  ;  and  too  little  has  been  pre- 
served of  his  pioneer  labors  in  later  life.  About  the  year  1730  he 
emigrated  to  America,  a  licensed  preacher  in  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  and  landed  at  Philadelphia.  He  soon  became  connected 
with  a  congregation  of  Scotch  emigrants  somewhere  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, and  labored  in  the  ministry  with  them  for  a  time.  His  mind 
became  clouded,  and  his  heart  full  of  fears,  on  the  subject  of  his 


132  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

call  to  the  ministry,  and  even  of  his  own  personal  piety  ;  and  he 
ceased  to  perform  the  duties  of  a  minister,  believing  that  it  was 
wrong  for  him  to  preach.  In  this  state  of  mind  he  heard  the  fa- 
mous Whitefield  preach,  as  he  was  traversing  the  country,  and 
sought  an  interview  with  him.  This  eminent  servant  of  God  heard 
him  state  his  case,  removed  most  of  his  difficulties,  and  encouraged 
him  to  resume  his  ministry.  He  labored  for  a  time  in  Lancaster 
county,  on  the  Coneweheog,  where  the  Rev.  Hugh  McAden  visited 
him,  as  is  recorded  in  his  journal.  His  attention  being  turned  to 
his  countrjmien  on  the  Cape  Fear,  Mr.  Campbell  emigrated  to 
North  Carolina  in  the  year  1757,  and  took  his  residence  on  the  left 
bank  of  the  Cape  Fear,  a  few  miles  above  Fayetteville,  nearly 
opposite  to  the  Bluff  church. 

For  a  long  time  he  held  his  Presbyterial  connection  with  a 
Presbytery  in  South  Carolina,  which  was  never  united  with  the 
Synod  of  Philadelphia.  About  the  year  1773  his  connection  with 
Orange  Presbytery  was  formed,  and  in  that  connection  he  con- 
tinued till  his  death  in  the  year  1781.  Mr.  Campbell  left  behind 
him  no  papers  or  memoranda  from  which  anything  can  be  gleaned 
respecting  his  religious  exercises,  or  ministerial  labors ;  but  he 
has  left  traditions  which  sprung  from  the  experience  of  the  people 
of  his  charge,  that  he  was  a  zealous  laborious  man,  who  never 
wearied  in  his  work,  from  the  time  he  came  to  Carolina,  but  spent 
his  days  in  affectionate  and  unremitting  efforts  to  bring  men  home 
to  God  through  Christ.  His  labors  had  no  bounds  but  his  strength. 
It  is  probable  that,  for  a  time,  he  supplied  the  Scotch  population 
at  the  rate  of  a  Sabbath  once  in  three  or  four  to  a  neighborhood, 
the  people  going  in  many  instances  a  long  distance  to  attend  the 
ministrations  of  the  sanctuary,  and  glad  to  hear,  even  at  distant 
intervals,  the  gospel  of  Christ. 

It  would  be  greatly  gratifying  to  the  church  and  the  public 
generally  could  some  pages  of  history,  formed  from  the  accredited 
doings  of  this  laborious  minister,  be  presented  to  the  world.  But 
for  want  of  documents  less  place  is  given  than  his  memory  de- 
serves. God  has  been  pleased  to  leave  much  of  his  doings  covered 
up  from  posterity,  to  be  revealed  when  the  veil  is  taken  off  from 
all  things. 

His  preaching  places  appear  to  have  been  three,  for  regular 
congregations,  on  the  Sabbath,  besides  occasional  and  irregular 
preaching,  as  the  necessities  of  the  country  required.  For  ten  or 
twelve  years  he  preached  on  the  southwest  side  of  the  river  below 
the  Bluff,  in  a  meeting-house  near  Roger  McNeill's,  and  called 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR.    133 

"  Roger's  meeting-house."  Here  Hector  McNeill  (commonly 
called  Bluff  Hector)  and  Alexander  McAlister,  acted  as  Elders. 
After  the  death  of  Mr.  Campbell,  and  about  the  year  1787,  the 
"Bluff  Church"  was  built,  and  Duncan  McNeill  (of  the  Bluff, 
Hector  being  dead)  and  Alexander  McAlister,  and  perhaps  others, 
officiated  as  Elders. 

Soon  after  his  removal  to  Carolina,  Mr.  Campbell  commenced 
preaching  at  Alexander  Clark's,  and  continued  his  appointments 
for  a  number  of  years.  About  the  year  1746,  John  Dobbin,  who 
had  married  the  widow  of  David  Alexander  in  Pennsylvania,  and 
had  resided  in  Virginia,  near  Winchester,  about  a  year,  removed 
to  Carolina ;  and,  while  the  Alexander  families  that  came  with  him 
took  their  abode  on  the  Hico  or  the  Yadkin,  he  fixed  his  residence 
on  the  Cape  Fear,  somewhat  against  the  inclinations  of  his  wife 
and  step-daughter.  The  situations  on  the  river  being  esteemed 
less  healthy  than  those  more  remote,  Mr.  Dobbin  and  others  took 
their  abode  on  Barbacue ;  and  about  the  year  1758  Mr.  Campbell 
began  to  preach  at  his  house,  and  continued  so  to  do  till  the 
"Barbacue  Church"  was  built,  about  the  year  1765  or  1766. 
The  first  Elders  of  this  church  were — Gilbert  Clark,  eldest  son 
of  Alexander  Clark,  and  step-son  of  John  Dobbin  (having  married 
Ann  Alexander),  one  of  the  first  magistrates  of  Cumberland 
county,  under  the  Colonial  Government, — Duncan  Buie,  who  early 
in  the  Revolutionary  war  removed  to  the  Cape  Fear  River,  nearly 
opposite  the  Bluff  Church, — Archibald  Buie  of  Green  Swamp, — 
and  Daniel  Cameron  of  the  Hill.  These  men  were  pious,  and 
devoted  to  the  cause  of  religion  and  their  duties  as  Elders  ;  and 
for  their  strict  attention  to  their  duties  got  the  name  of  "  the  little 
ministers  of  Barbacue"  •  The  congregation,  like  the  others  under 
the  care  of  Mr.  Campbell,  were  trained  in  the  old  Scotch  fashion 
of  reading  the  Bible,  attending  church  when  practicable,  and  repeat- 
ing the  Catechism ;  and  were  accustomed  to  follow  the  minister 
in  his  proof  texts.  It  was  of  this  congregation  the  Rev.  John 
McLeod  said,  "  he  would  rather  preach  to  the  most  polished  and 
fashionable  congregation  in  Edinburgh  than  to  the  little  critical 
carls  of  Barbacue."  Not  that  they  were  so  particularly  captious 
about  his  manner  and  delivery,  for  he  was  esteemed  an  eloquent 
man,  but  they  were  so  well-informed  on  the  doctrines  and  usages 
of  the  church,  that  it  required  great  particularity  in  his  sermons 
to  avoid  their  criticism.  The  kind  of  sermons  demanded  by  that 
people  might  now  seem  novel  or  antiquated,  but  would  be  found 
full  of  instruction ;  and  even  their  length  would  be  no  objection  in 


134  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

congregations  that  can  hear  the  gospel  but  once  in  a  month  or  six 
weeks. 

Barbacue  church  was  the  place  of  worship  of  Flora  McDonald, 
while  she  lived  at  Cameron's  Hill,  and  though  the  congregation  is 
less  extended  and  nourishing  than  in  former  years,  it  is  still  in 
existence.     May  it  revive  and  flourish  ! 

Mr.  Campbell  also  began  to  preach  soon  after  his  coming  to 
Carolina,  at  McKay's,  now  known  as  Long  Street,  one  of  the 
places  visited  by  Mr.  McAden  in  his  first  journey  through  Caro- 
lina. A  church  was  built  about  the  year  1765  or  '66,  the  time  at 
which  Barbacue  was  built.  The  first  elders  were  Malcom  Smith, 
Archibald  McKay,  and  Archibald  Ray.  This  congregation  is  still 
in  existence,  and  though  much  curtailed  in  extent  and  numbers, 
nourishes. 

These  three  congregations  were  the  principal  places  of  Mr. 
Campbell's  preaching,  and  for  a  time  accommodated  the  greater 
part  of  the  Scotch  settled  in  Cumberland.  As  the  emigration 
continued  new  neighborhoods  were  formed,  and  the  limits  of  these 
congregations  contracted  :  and  one  after  another  the  numerous 
churches  in  Cumberland,  Robeson,  Moore  and  Richmond,  and 
Bladen,  were  gathered,  some  of  which  now  surpass  in  numbers 
these  ancient  mothers. 

At  the  time  Mr.  Campbell  labored  in  Cumberland,  the  larger 
number  of  the  people  used  the  Gaelic  language  ;  some  could  use 
both  that  and  the  English  ;  and  there  were  some  Lowland  Scotch, 
and  a  few  Scotch-Irish  families,  and  some  Dutch  that  could  not 
use  the  Gaelic  :  divine  service  was  therefore  performed  in  both 
languages.  Mr.  Campbell,  to  accommodate  his  hearers,  preached 
two  sermons  each  Sabbath,  one  in  English  and  one  in  Gaelic ; 
this  he  did  in  all  three  of  his  churches.  In  a  few  congregations, 
in  the  Presbytery  of  Fayetteville,  this  practice  of  preaching  in  the 
two  languages  is  still  continued.  The  influence  of  this  language 
has  been  great  upon  the  Scotch  settlements  in  Carolina.  There 
have  been  some  disadvantages  attending  it,  and  the  language  is 
fast  passing  away.  But  for  a  long  time  it  was  a  bond  of  union, 
and  a  preservation  of  those  feelings  and  principles  peculiar  to  the 
Scotch  emigrants,  many  of  which  ought  to  be  preserved  for  ever. 
The  change  has  been  so  gradual  in  putting  off  the  Gaelic,  and 
adopting  the  English,  that  the  people  of  Cumberland  have  suffered 
as  little,  from  a  change  of  their  language,  as  any  people  that  have 
ever  undergone  that  unwelcome  process.     They  have  retained  the 


SETTLEMENT  OF  THE  SCOTCH  ON  RIVER  CAPE  FEAR.   135 

faith  and  habits  of  their  ancestors,  things  most  commonly  thrown 
away  or  changed  by  a  change  of  the  common  dialect. 

Mr.  Campbell,  for  a  few  years,  had  an  assistant  in  the  ministry. 
The  Rev.  John  McLeod  came  from  Scotland  some  time  in  the 
year  1770,  accompanied  by  a  large  number  of  families  from  the 
Highlands,  who  took  their  residence  upon  the  upper  and  lower 
Little  Rivers,  in  Cumberland  county.  Barbacue  and  Long  Street 
were  part  of  the  places  in  which  he  preached  during  the  three 
years  he  remained  in  Carolina.  In  the  year  1773,  he  left  Ame- 
rica with  the  view  of  returning  to  his  native  land  ;  being  never 
heard  of  afterwards,  it  is  supposed  that  he  found  a  watery  grave. 
He  was  a  man  of  eminent  piety,  great  worth,  and  popular  elo- 
quence. 

With  this  exception  it  is  not  known  that  he  had  any  ministerial 
brother  residing  in  Cumberland,  or  the  adjoining  counties,  that 
could  assist  him  in  preaching  to  the  Gaels.  McAden,  who 
preached  in  Duplin,  could  give  him  no  assistance  where  the  lan- 
guage of  the  Highlanders  was  the  vernacular  tongue. 

How  the  congregations  of  the  Scotch  maintained  so  much  of  a 
spirit  of  piety  and  true  religion,  can  be  accounted  for  on  no  other 
principles,  than  the  pious,  devoted  labors  of  Mr.  Campbell  and  his 
elders,  accompanied  by  the  blessing  of  the  Holy  Spirit.  The 
children  were  taught  the  catechism,  and  called  to  frequent  exami- 
nations by  the  church  officers  ;  and  the  Bible  was  much  read  : 
and  family  religion  very  generally  maintained.  These  forms  were 
kept  up  even  after  the  spirit  of  godliness  had  much  decayed,  in 
the  old  age  of  Mr.  Campbell,  and  by  the  confusion  and  strifes  and 
bloodshed  of  the  Revolution,  which  were  felt  in  all  their  terrors 
on  the  Cape  Fear. 

Since  the  Revolution  the  congregations  of  the  Scotch  have  been 
much  better  supplied  with  ministers  than  previously ;  but  it  is 
doubtful  whether  family  government  and  religion  are  as  carefully 
attended  to  now  as  in  former  days.  One  reason  of  the  small 
supply  of  ministers,  before  the  Revolution,  may  have  been  in  the 
fact,  that  the  emigrants,  while  in  Scotland,  had  been  accustomed 
to  the  division  of  the  country  into  parishes  by  the  civil  authority, 
and  the  collection  of  the  ministers'  support  by  law,  in  some  pa- 
rishes having  a  qualified  voice  in  the  choice  of  their  pastor,  and 
in  others  possessing  no  right  of  choice  worth  naming.  In  Carolina, 
all  interference  of  law  was  to  divide  the  county  into  parishes  for 
the  establishment  of  the  English  National  Church,  to  which  these 
emigrants   were   greatly   averse.     After   the   revolutionary   war, 


136  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

necessity  led  the  Scotch  to  voluntary  efforts  for  the  support  of  their 
ministers,  and  these  efforts  were  attended  with  success  ;  and  their 
descendants  ei  joy  gospel  privileges  in  as  high  a  degree  as  any 
section  of  the  southern  and  western  States,  The  Scotch-Irish 
had  been  more  accustomed  to  these  efforts  in  Ireland,  being  left  to 
provide  for  their  own  ministers  by  voluntary  gifts,  after  they  had 
paid  what  the  law  required  for  the  national  clergy.  They  were 
more  active  in  Carolina,  before  the  Revolution,  than  the  Scotch  ; 
after  that  event,  the  efforts  of  both  are  worthy  of  high  commen- 
dation. 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  137 


CHAPTER  XL 

THE   POLITICAL   OPINIONS   OF   THE   SCOTCH   EMIGRANTS. 

The  Scotch,  never,  in  the  land  of  their  fathers,  or  in  the  United 
States  of  America,  have  been  inclined  to  radicalism,  or  the  prostra- 
tion of  all  law.  In  their  warmest  aspirations  for  the  liberty  of 
choosing  their  own  rulers,  or  framing,  or  consenting  to  the  laws,  by 
which  they  should  be  governed,  they  always  acknowledged  the  ne- 
cessity of  law  and  order ;  in  fact,  they  never  asked  for  anything 
else.  The  general  run  of  Scottish  history  shows  the  nation  to  have 
been  in  favor  of  a  government  of  sufficient  strength  to  control  its 
subjects  in  the  exercise  of  their  passions,  and  defend  them  from 
aggression  and  violence. 

They  have  ever  been  strenuous  that  their  rulers  should  govern 
according  to  some  established  law,  well  known  and  understood,  to 
which  reference  should  be  had  in  cases  of  dispute  among  themselves, 
or  with  their  rulers  ;  and  to  the  decision  of  this  law,  fairly  inter- 
preted, there  should  be  no  opposition  while  the  law  was  unrepealed. 

They  contended  that  there  is  of  necessity  an  agreement  between 
the  rulers  and  the  people,  the  one,  to  govern  by  these  fixed  laws, 
and  the  other,  to  obey  the  directiona  given  by  the  constituted  au- 
thorities. 

They  ever  contended  that  there  is  a  conscience  towards  God, 
paramount  to  all  human  control ;  and  for  the  government  of  their 
conscience  in  all  matters  of  morality  and  religion,  the  Bible  is  the 
storehouse  of  information, — acknowledging  no  Lord  of  the  consci- 
ence, but  the  Son  of  God,  the  head  of  the  Church,  Jesus  Christ ; 
and  the  Bible  as  his  divine  communication  for  the  welfare  and 
guide  of  mankind. 

They  have  held  that  tyranny  and  usurpation  may  be  set  aside  by 
force  ;  that,  in  extreme  cases,  revolution  by  force  is  the  natural 
right  of  man ;  not  a  revolution  to  throw  down  authority,  and  give 
license  to  passion,  but  a  revolution  to  first  principles,  and  to  the 
unalienable  rights  of  man. 

On  these  principles,  they  formed  their  various  Covenants.  The 
first  made  in  1557,  Dec.  3d,  and  the  second  on  31st  of  May,  1559 ; 
in  both  of  which  the  leading  men,  and  many  others,  bind  themselves 


138  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

to  maintain  their  religion  against  all  opposition  from  any  and  every 
quarter.  The  first  National  Covenant  of  Scotland  was  drawn  up 
by  John  Craig,  and  sometimes  has  been  called  Craig's  Confession  ; 
was  publicly  owned  and  signed  by  the  king  himself,  his  household, 
and  the  greater  part  of  the  nobility  and  gentry,  throughout  the 
kingdom,  in  1581 ;  the  signing  of  it  being  greatly  promoted 
through  the  country  by  the  ministers  of  religion.  The  same  cove- 
nant, with  many  additions,  was  publicly  signed,  with  great  solem- 
nity, by  the  people  in  Edinburgh,  Feb.  28th,  1638.  By  this,  they 
all  bound  themselves  to  preserve,  at  all  hazards,  their  religious 
rights  and  liberties  against  opposers.  And  finally,  the  Solemn 
League  and  Covenant,  drawn  up  by  Alexander  Henderson,  and 
read  by  him  in  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
on  the  17th  of  August,  1643,  and  was  received  and  approved,  with 
emotions  of  the  deepest  solemnity  and  awe,  with  whispered  thanks- 
givings and  prayers.  It  was  then  carried  to  the  Convention  of 
States,  and  by  them  unanimously  ratified ;  subsequently,  it  was 
sent  to  London,  where,  on  the  25th  Sept.  of  the  same  year,  it  was 
accepted  and  subscribed  by  the  English  Parliament  and  the  Assem- 
bly of  Westminster  Divines ;  and  afterwards  carried  over  to  Ireland, 
and  taken  generally,  by  the  congregations  of  Presbyterians,  in 
Ulster  province.  The  services  attending  the  signing  of  this  import- 
ant instrument  were  solemn  and  protracted,  not  only  in  Scotland, 
but  in  England  and  in  Ireland. 

This  Solemn  League  and  Covenant,  so  generally  taken,  bound 
the  United  Kingdoms  to  endeavor  the  preservation  of  the  Reformed 
Religion  in  the  Church  of  Scotland,  in  doctrine,  discipline,  and 
government, — and  the  Reformation  of  Religion  in  England  and 
Ireland  according  to  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  example  of  the  best, 
reformed  Churches, — the  extirpation  of  Popery  and  Prelacy, — the 
defence  of  the  King's  person,  authority,  and  honor, — and  the  pre- 
servation and  defence  of  the  true  Religion  and  Liberties  of  the 
kingdom,  in  peace  and  quietness.  Hetherington,  a  writer  of  note, 
in  his  History  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  thus  writes  :  "  Perhaps 
no  great  international  transaction  has  ever  been  so  much  misrepre- 
sented and  maligned,  as  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.  Even 
its  defenders  have  often  exposed  it,  and  its  authors,  to  severe  cen- 
sures, by  their  unwise  mode  of  defence.  There  can  be  no  doubt  in 
the  mind  of  any  intelligent  and  thoughtful  man,  that  on  it  mainly 
rests,  under  Providence,  the  noble  structure  of  the  British  constitu- 
tion. But  for  it,  so  far  as  man  may  judge,  these  kingdoms  would 
have  been  placed  beneath  the  deadening  bondage  of  absolute  despot- 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  139 

ism  ;  and  in  the  fate  of  Britain,  the  liberty  and  civilisation  of  the 
world  would  have  sustained  a  fatal  paralyzing  shock.  This  con- 
sideration alone  might  be  sufficient  to  induce  the  statesman  to 
pause,  before  he  ventures  to  condemn  the  Solemn  League  and  Cove- 
nant. But  to  the  Christian,  we  may  suggest  still  loftier  thoughts. 
The  great  principles  of  that  sacred  bond  are  those  of  the  Bible 
itself.  It  may  be  that  Britain  was  not  then,  and  is  not  yet,  in  a  fit 
state  to  receive  them,  and  to  make  them  her  principles  and  rules  of 
national  government  and  law ;  but  they  are  not,  on  that  account, 
untrue,  nor  even  impracticable  :  and  the  glorious  predictions  of  the 
inspired  Scriptures  foretell  a  time  when  they  will  be  more  than 
realized,  and  when  all  the  kingdoms  of  this  earth  shall  become  the 
kingdoms  of  Jehovah,  and  of  his  anointed,  and  all  shall  be  united  in 
one  solemn  league  and  covenant  under  the  King  of  Kings  and  Lord 
of  Lords.  And  who  may  presume  to  say  that  the  seemingly  pre- 
mature and  ineffectual  attempt  to  realize  it  by  the  heavenly-minded 
patriarchs  of  Scotland's  second  Reformation,  was  not  the  first  faint 
struggling  day-beam  piercing  the  world's  thick  darkness,  and  reveal- 
ing to  the  eye  of  faith  an  earnest  of  the  rising  of  the  Sun  of  Right- 
eousness ?  A  sacred  principle  was  then  infused  into  the  heart  of  na- 
tions which  cannot  perish  ;  a  light  then  shone  into  the  world's  dark- 
ness which  cannot  be  extinguished ;  and  generations  not  remote  may 
see  that  principle  quickening  and  evolving  in  all  its  irresistible 
might,  and  that  light  bursting  forth  in  its  all-brightening  glory." 

"  It  has  often  been  said  the  Covenanters  were  circumvented  by 
the  English  Parliament,  and  were  drawn  into  a  league  with  men 
who  meant  only  to  employ  them  for  their  own  purposes,  and  then 
either  cast  them  off,  or  subdue  them  beneath  a  sterner  sway  than 
that  of  Charles.  Were  it  even  so,  it  might  prove  the  treachery  of 
the  English,  but  would  expose  the  Covenanters  to  no  heavier  accu- 
sations than  that  of  unsuspecting  simplicity  of  mind.  They  ought 
to  have  first  ascertained,  men  say,  what  form  of  church  government 
England  intended  to  adopt,  before  they  had  consented  to  the 
League.  And  yet  the  same  accusers  fiercely  condemn  the  Scottish 
Covenanters  for  attempting  to  force  their  own  Presbyterian  forms 
upon  the  people  of  England.  The  former  accusation  manifestly 
destroys  the  latter.  That  the  Covenanters  did  not  attempt  to  force 
Presbyterianism  upon  England,  is  proved  by  the  fact,  that  they 
entered  into  the  league  without  any  such  specific  stipulation,  be- 
cause it  was  contrary  to  their  principles  either  to  submit  to  force 
in  matters  of  religion,  or  to  attempt  using  force  against  other  free 
Christian  men.     It  argues,  therefore,  ignorance  both  of  their  prin- 


140  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ciples  and  of  their  conduct,  to  bring  against  them  an  accusation  so 
groundless  and  so  base.  They  consented  to  lend  their  aid  to  Eng- 
land in  her  day  of  peril,  in  which  peril  they  were  themselves  in- 
volved ;  but  they  left  to  England's  assembled  divines  the  grave  and 
responsible  task  of  reforming  their  own  church ;  lending,  merely,  as 
they  were  requested,  the  assistance  of  some  of  their  own  most  learned, 
pious,  and  experienced  ministers,  to  promote  the  great  and  holy 
enterprise.  For  that  they  have  been  and  will  be  blamed  by  wit- 
lings, Sciolists  and  Infidel  philosophers ;  but  what  England's  best 
and  greatest  men  sought  with  earnest  desire,  and  received  with  re- 
spect and  gratitude,  Scotland  need  never  be  ashamed  that  her  vene- 
rable covenanted  fathers  did  not  decline  to  grant." 

"  And  let  it  be  carefully  observed,  that  the  difference  between  the 
conduct  of  the  English  Parliament  in  the  great  civil  war,  and  of 
the  Covenanters  in  their  time  of  struggle,  consisted  in  and  was 
caused  by  this — that  in  England  it  was  essentially  a  contest  in  de- 
fence, or  for  the  assertion  of  civil  liberty, — in  Scotland  for  religious 
purity  and  freedom.  England's  fierce  wars  for  civil  liberty  laid  her 
and  her  unfortunate  assistant  prostrate  beneath  the  feet  of  an  iron- 
hearted  usurper  and  despot.  Scotland's  calm  and  bloodless  defence 
of  religious  purity  and  freedom  secured  to  her  those  all-inestimable 
blessings,  broke  the  chains  of  her  powerful  neighbor,  revealed  to 
mankind  a  principle  of  universal  truth  and  might,  and  poured  into 
her  own  crushed  heart  a  stream  of  life,  sacred,  immortal,  and 
divine." 

The  famous  book  Lex  Rex,  by  Rev.  Samuel  Rutherford,  was  full 
of  principles  that  lead  to  republican  action,  as  the  Scotch  generally 
have  understood  republicanism, — to  be  governed  by  rulers  chosen, 
and  by  laws  framed  according  to  the  will  of  the  people, — and  reli- 
gious liberty  untouched. 

These  great  principles  the  Scotch  brought  with  them  to  America ; 
they  are  still  held  by  their  descendants,  who  differ  from  their  parent 
stock  in  insisting  on  and  enjoying  the  form  of  government,  which, 
while  it  protects  the  citizens,  is  elective,  and  is  executed  by  the 
same  persons  but  a  short  time  in  continuance.  On  the  other  side 
of  the  water,  the  Scotch  enjoy  but  an  implied  choice  in  their  here- 
ditary monarch,  and  but  in  part  that  freedom  of  conscience,  and 
that  liberty  from  legislative  interference  in  matters  of  religion,  they 
aimed  at  in  their  National  Covenant. 

James  I.  had  signed  the  first  National  Covenant,  and  Charles  II., 
on  his  being  crowned  at  Scone,  by  the  Scotch,  January  1st,  1651, 
heard  the  National  Covenant  and  the  solemn  League  and  Covenant 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  141 

read,  and  solemnly  swore  to  keep  them  both ;  and  when  the  oath 
to  defend  the  Church  of  Scotland  was  administered  to  him,  kneeling 
and  holding  up  his  right  hand,  he  uttered  the  following  awful  vow  : 
"  By  the  Eternal  and  Almighty  God,  who  liveth  and  reigneth  for 
ever,  I  shall  observe  and  keep  all  that  is  contained  in  this  oath." 

Now  with  men  who  had  felt  that  it  was  right  to  bind  a  heredi- 
tary monarch  by  a  solemn  covenant,  to  which  they  bound  them- 
selves, and  who,  in  emigrating  to  North  Carolina,  had  come,  some 
of  them  of  their  own  free  will,  with  the  expectation  of  enjoying 
more  liberty  and  acquiring  more  property,  and  some  on  compulsion, 
to  save  their  lives  after  the  rebellion  of  1748,  and  loaded  with  a 
solemn  oath  of  allegiance  as  part  of  the  conditions  of  pardon ;  and 
in  Carolina  kept  a  part  of  them  in  ignorance  of  the  real  state  of 
the  country,  and  imposed  upon  by  the  representations  of  the  Gov- 
ernor, in  whom  they  trusted, — it  is  not  at  all  strange  there  should 
be  difference  of  opinion  and  action  as  the  revolutionary  straggle 
came  on.  Some  were  ready  to  carry  out  their  principles  at  once, — 
and  were  republicans,  doing  away  at  once  all  hereditary  claims  to 
the  throne  or  chair  of  state.  Others  had  not  felt  the  evils  com- 
plained of  in  Carolina  to  any  great  degree,  and  were  not  hasty  to 
enter  into  a  contest.  Others  felt  themselves  bound  to  obey  the 
king,  to  whose  government  and  person  they  had  taken  the  solemn 
oath  of  allegiance,  as  a  condition  of  their  spared  lives.  And  some 
were  so  convinced  that  the  king's  forces  could  not  be  successfully 
resisted, — and  from  what  they  knew  or  heard  from  their  nation's  ex- 
perience, they  had  some  cause  to  fear, — that  it  was  better  to  bear 
the  evils  they  endured,  than  to  suffer  greater  after  a  crushed  rebel- 
lion. One  man,  William  Bourk,  was  heard  to  say  in  the  winter  of 
1776,  that  "  we  should  all  be  subdued  by  the  month  of  May,  by  the 
king's  troops ;  that  General  Gage  ought  to  have  let  the  Guards  out 
to  Bunker  Hill,  and  it  would  have  settled  the  dispute  at  that  time ;" 
and  for  this  he  was  brought  before  the  provincial  council,  March 
2d,  1776,  and  acknowledged  his  words,  and  added, — "  he  wished 
the  time  would  happen  this  instant,  but  was  sure  the  Americans 
would  be  subdued  by  the  month  of  August ;"  whereupon  he  was 
sent  to  Halifax  and  committed  to  close  gaol  till  further  orders. 

Those  that  had  come  to  the  province  of  their  own  accord,  pre- 
vious to  the  great  emigration,  by  authority,  in  1746  and  1747; 
and  many  of  those  who  emigrated  afterwards,  followed  out  their 
inclinations  and  their  principles  in  taking  part  in  the  revolution ; 
— and  many,  perhaps  most  of  those  who  came  in  that  emigration, 
took  part  for  the  king, — feeling  themselves  bound  by  their  oath  of 


142  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

allegiance,  and  their  present  position,  to  defend  the  rights  and  do» 
minions  of  the  crown.  For  a  time,  at  least,  the  majority  of  the 
inhabitants  of  what  was  Cumberland  wrere  in  favor  of  the  crown, 
and  even  disposed  to  assist  Governor  Martin,  who  kept  them  in- 
formed of  the  preparations  made  by  the  crown  for  the  subjugation 
of  the  colonies;  and  appealed  to  their  sense  of  honor  and  religion 
and  loyalty  to  rally  around  his  standard,  which,  after  his  flight  from 
Newbern  on  the  night  of  April  24th,  1775,  was  raised  at  Fort 
Johnson,  on  the  Cape  Fear  ;  and  from  that  removed  to  an  armed 
vessel  until  the  arrival  of  forces  enabled  him  to  take  again  his  posi- 
tion in  safety  on  land. 

The  following  paper  showTs  that  those  in  Cumberland  who  felt 
free  to  act  for  the  revolution  were  no  less  spirited  than  those  in 
Mecklenburg  or  any  other  part  of  the  State.  After  the  Declaration 
made  by  the  inhabitants  of  Mecklenburg,  the  different  counties 
formed  what  were  called  associations ;  a  paper  being  drawn  up  ex- 
pressing their  sentiments  on  the  great  questions  agitating  the  public 
mind,  they  subscribed  their  names,  pledging  themselves  to  the  de- 
fence of  American  Liberty.  Within  a  month  a  paper  was  circulated 
in  Cumberland  county,  of  which  the  following  is  a  copy. 

"  THE    ASSOCIATION,    JUNE    20TH,    1775. 

"  The  actual  commencement  of  hostilities  against  the  Continent, 
by  the  British  troops,  in  the  bloody  scene  of  the  19th  of  April  last, 
near  Boston,  in  the  increase  of  arbitrary  impositions  from  a  wicked 
and  despotic  Ministry,  and  the  dread  of  instigated  insurrections  in 
the  colonies,  are  causes  sufficient  to  drive  an  oppressed  people  to 
the  use  of  arms.  We,  therefore,  the  subscribers,  of  Cumberland 
county,  holding  ourselves  bound  by  the  most  sacred  of  all  obliga- 
tions, the  duty  of  citizens  towards  an  injured  country,  and  thoroughly 
convinced  that,  under  our  distressed  circumstances,  we  shall  be  jus- 
tified in  resisting  force  by  force,  do  unite  ourselves  under  every  tie 
of  religion  and  honor,  and  associate  as  a  band  in  her  defence  against 
every  foe,  hereby  solemnly  engaging,  that,  whenever  our  continental 
or  provincial  councils  shall  decree  it  necessary,  we  will  go  forth 
and  be  ready  to  sacrifice  our  lives  and  fortunes  to  secure  her  freedom 
and  safety.  This  obligation  to  continue  in  full  force  until  a  recon- 
ciliation shall  take  place  between  Great  Britain  and  America,  upon 
constitutional  principles,  an  event  we  most  ardently  desire,  and  wre 
will  hold  all  those  persons  inimical  to  the  liberty  of  the  colonies, 
who  shall  refuse  to  subscribe  to  this  association  ;  and  we  will  in  all 
things  follow  the  advice  of  our  general  committee  respecting  the 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  143 

purpose  aforesaid,  the  preservation  of  peace  and  good  order,  and 
the  safety  of  individual  and  private  property." 

This  paper  was  the  composition  of  Robert  Rowan,  whose  name 
stands  first  on  a  long  list  of  subscribers  ;  it  is  still  in  existence  in 
Robeson  County.  The  phrase,  "  instigated  insurrections,"  in  the 
above  paper  refers  probably  to  a  charge  made  against  Governor 
Martin,  that  he  favored  the  effort  that  was  made  for  an  insurrection 
of  the  Slaves,  planned  by  the  captain  of  a  coasting  vessel. 

The  difference  of  opinion  in  Cumberland  county  led  to  much 
distress  and  trouble,  not  from  the  foreign  foe,  for  the  British  forces 
never  visited  the  county,  except  in  the  hasty  retreat  of  Cornwall  is 
to  Wilmington,  after  the  battle  of  Guilford  ;  but  from  the  inhabit- 
ants themselves.  Some  of  the  most  ardent  Whigs  in  the  State 
were  citizens  of  Cumberland  county,  who  hesitated  not  to  give  the 
Royalists  much  trouble.  We  shall  not  stop  to  dwell  upon  or  re- 
count the  plunderings,  the  skirmishes,  and  battles,  the  personal  ren- 
counters between  the  two  parties  in  Cumberland  and  the  surround- 
ing counties,  though  they  afforded  many  thrilling  scenes  of  courage 
and  of  suffering ;  and  shall  relate  the  circumstances  of  only  one 
engagement  between  the  Whigs  and  Tories  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
State,  as  the  consequences  were  of  importance  to  the  country  through 
the  wrhole  war. 

Governor  Martin  had  issued  a  Commission  of  Brigadier  General 
to  Donald  M'Donald,  a  leading  man  among  the  Scotch,  and  perhaps 
the  most  influential  among  the  Highlanders ;  and  had  sent  him  a 
proclamation  without  date,  which  the  General  might  send  forth  at 
any  time  he  should  think  it  advisable,  commanding  all  the  king's 
subjects  to  rally  around  the  General.  On  the  1st  day  of  February, 
1776,  M'Donald  erected  the  Royal  Standard  at  Cross  Creek,  and 
issued  his  proclamation.  In  a  short  time  fifteen  hundred  men  were 
assembled  under  his  command,  well  armed  and  provided  with  proper 
military  stores  for  a  march  to  join  the  Governor  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  The  celebrated  Flora  M'Donald,  whose  history  will  fill 
another  chapter,  is  said  to  have  used  her  influence  over  her  clans- 
men and  neighbors  to  join  the  standard  of  the  old  veteran,  who  had 
held  a  commission  in  the  army  of  the  Pretender,  Charles  Edward, 
and  taken  part  in  the  battle  of  Culloden,  in  1745,  and  had  saved 
his  life  by  the  oath  of  allegiance  and  emigration  to  Carolina,  and 
was  now  prepared  to  fight  for  his  king  as  his  only  proper  sovereign 
ruler.  Her  husband  took  a  Captain's  commission ;  and  others  of 
the  name  held  commissions,  and  were  in  the  camp,  which  was  well 


144  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

supplied  by  contributions,  and  the  king's  money,  a  large  amount  of 
which  was  secured  by  the  Whigs  after  the  battle. 

Colonel  James  Moore  of  New  Hanover,  who  had  been  commis- 
sioned by  the  Provincial  Congress  of  North  Carolina,  in  1775,  and 
had  a  regiment  under  his  command  of  five  hundred  men,  four  hun- 
dred of  whom  had  been  stationed  at  Wilmington,  marched,  with 
his  regiment,  and  a  detachment  of  the  New  Hanover  militia,  to- 
wards Cross  Creek,  and  fortified  a  camp  on  Rockfish  River,  about 
twelve  miles  south  of  M'Donald  head-quarters ;  and  by  his  scouts 
and  spies  broke  up  the  regular  communication  between  the  General 
and  the  Governor.  The  first  move  of  M'Donald  was  towards 
Moore.  Halting  a  few  miles  from  his  camp,  he  sent  a  decided  but 
friendly  letter  to  the  Colonel,  urging  him  to  prevent  all  bloodshed 
by  joining  the  royal  standard ;  and  offering,  in  the  name  of  the 
king,  a  free  pardon  and  indemnification  for  past  rebellion, — "  other- 
wise he  should  consider  them  as  traitors  to  the  constitution,  and 
take  the  necessary  steps  to  conquer  and  subdue  them."  Moore, 
after  the  delay  of  some  days,  returned  his  answer — that  he  and  his 
men  were  engaged  in  the  most  glorious  cause  in  the  world,  the  de- 
fence of  the  rights  of  mankind,  and  needed  no  pardon  ; — and  urged 
the  General  to  sign  the  test  proposed  by  the  Provincial  Congress, 
— otherwise  he  might  expect  that  treatment  which  he  had  threatened 
him  and  his  followers. 

McDonald  having  in  the  meantime  received  information  that  Sir 
Henry  Clinton  and  Lord  William  Campbell  had  arrived  at  the  head- 
quarters of  the  Governor,  determined,  if  possible,  to  avoid  an  en- 
gagement with  Moore,  and  decamped  at  midnight,  and  commenced 
his  march  to  join  the  Governor.  By  rapid  marches  and  crossing 
the  Cape  Fear,  he  eluded  the  pursuit  of  Moore,  and  was  bending 
his  course  to  the  sea  shore,  intending  to  leave  Wilmington  to  the  left, 
when,  on  the  third  day's  march,  crossing  the  South  River  from  Bladen 
into  Hanover,  he  comes  to  Moore's  Creek,  which  runs  from  north  to 
south,  and  empties  into  the  South  River  about  twenty  miles  above 
Wilmington,  and  finds  the  encampment  of  Cols.  Alexander  Lil- 
lington  with  the  minute  men  of  the  Wilmington  district,  and  Rich- 
ard Caswell,  with  the  minute  men  of  New  Berne  district,  who 
assembled  their  forces  on  hearing  of  McDonald's  proclamation,  and 
had  united  their  regiments,  and  were  in  search  of  the  army  of  the 
Tories. 

McDonald's  situation  admitted  of  no  delay ;  Moore  was  in  rapid 
pursuit,  and  these  Colonels  in  front ;  he  determines  upon  an  attack 
upon  the  forces  in  front.     A  certain  individual,  who  claimed  to  be 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  145 

neutral,  visited  the  camp  of  Lillington  that  night,  and  informed 
him  that  an  attack  would  be  made  the  next  morning.  The  Colonel 
drawing  up  his  men  in  a  very  advantageous  position,  to  command 
both  the  road  and  the  bridge,  and  removing  the  planks  from  the 
bridge,  keeps  his  men  under  arms  all  night.  About  day,  the  27th 
of  February,  the  Scotch  forces  advance  for  battle,  under  the  com- 
mand of  Colonel  McLeod,  the  General  himself  being  confined  to 
his  tent,  too  unwell  to  lead  his  forces.  McLeod  is  speedily  killed, 
and  also  Colonel  Campbell ;  and  the  forces  of  Lillington  and  Cas- 
well rushing  on  with  great  spirit,  the  forces  of  McDonald,  deprived 
of  their  leaders,  are  thrown  into  confusion,  and  routed,  and  either 
taken  prisoners  or  entirely  dispersed.  McDonald  was  found  sitting 
on  a  stump  near  his  tent,  alone  ; — and  as  the  victorious  officers 
advanced  towards  him,  waving  the  parchment  scroll  of  his  commis- 
sion in  the  air,  he  delivers  it  into  their  hands.  Colonel  Moore 
arrived  in  camp  a  few  hours  after  the  battle  was  over,  and  his  for- 
ces all  came  up  during  the  day. 

By  this  battle  the  spirits  of  the  loyalists  were  broken,  and  they 
never  again  were  embodied  in  large  companies  till  the  fate  of  the 
war  became  doubtful  by  the  movements  of  the  army  of  Cornwallis. 

The  Provincial  Congress  determined  to  show  kindness  to  the 
prisoners  and  their  families,  respecting  their  principles,  though  op- 
posing their  course ;  and  on  the  29th  of  April  published  a  mani- 
festo from  which  the  following  are  extracts.  "  We  have  their  secur- 
ity in  contemplation,  not  to  make  them  miserable.  In  our  power, 
their  errors  claim  our  pity,  their  situation  disarms  our  resentment. 
We  shall  hail  their  reformation  with  increasing  pleasure,  and  re- 
ceive them  among  us  with  open  arms.  Sincere  contrition  and 
repentance  shall  atone  for  their  past  conduct.  Members  of  the 
same  political  body  with  ourselves,  we  feel  the  convulsion  which 
such  a  severance  occasions ;  and  shall  bless  the  day  which  shall 
restore  them  to  us,  friends  of  liberty,  to  the  cause  of  America,  the 
cause  of  God  and  mankind." 

"  We  war  not  with  helpless  females,  whom  they  have  left  behind 
them ;  we  sympathize  in  their  sorrow,  and  wish  to  pour  the  balm 
of  pity  into  the  wounds  which  a  separation  from  husbands,  fathers, 
and  the  clearest  relations  has  made.  They  are  the  rightful  pension- 
ers upon  the  charity  and  bounty  of  those  who  have  aught  to  spare 
from  their  own  necessities,  for  the  relief  of  their  indigent  fellow 
creatures ;  to  such  we  recommend  them." 

"  May  the  humanity  and  compassion  which  mark  the  cause  we 
are  engaged  in,  influence  them  to  such  a  conduct  as  may  call  forth 

10 


f4(>  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

our  utmost  tenderness  to  their  friends,  whom  we  have  in  our  power. 
Much  depends  upon  the  future  demeanor  of  the  friends  of  the  insur- 
gents who  are  left  among  us,  as  to  the  treatment  our  prisoners  may 
experience.  Let  them  consider  these  as  hostages  for  their  own 
good  behavior,  and  by  their  own  merits  make  kind  offices  to  their 
friends  a  tribute  of  duty  as  well  as  humanity  from  us,  who  have 
them  in  their  power." 

The  Congress  granted  to  General  McDonald  and  his  son,  who 
held  a  colonel's  commission,  a  liberal  parole  of  honor ;  and  com- 
plimented both  these  officers  on  their  candor.  Some  time  in  the 
summer,  the  general  and  twenty-five  of  the  officers  taken  prisoners 
in  the  battle  at  Widow  Moore's  Creek  Bridge,  were  taken  to  Phila- 
delphia, and  held  in  confinement  for  the  purpose  of  promoting  an 
exchange  of  prisoners  between  the  two  armies. 

We  cannot  but  admire  the  integrity  of  these  men,  though  we 
lament  their  course ;  we  reverence  their  moral  principles,  while 
we  deplore  their  mistake.  We  pass  by  their  error,  and  glory  in 
receiving  and  instructing  others  in  the  principles  of  religion  and 
morality  which  governed  these  men.  Their  descendants  are  among 
the  best  citizens  of  the  States.  The  great  principles  of  their  an- 
cestors still  reign  among  the  descendants  along  the  Cape  Fear ; 
and  though  divided  on  the  party  questions  of  the  day,  as  might  be 
expected  in  a  nation  of  freemen,  they  are  united  on  the  great  prin- 
ciples of  republicanism. 

The  descendants  of  these  men  are  altogether  in  favor  of  an  en- 
lightened ministry  ;  and  are  patrons  of  efforts  for  the  instruction  of 
the  rising  generation.  They  are  firm  friends  to  the  grand  princi- 
ples of  the  supremacy  of  law,  and  yield  a  cheerful  obedience  to  the 
laws  of  the  land  enacted  by  the  legislators,  chosen  by  freemen  from 
their  own  body.  Not  given  to  change  either  in  their  politics  or 
their  friendships,  they  support  the  government  of  their  choice  ;  and 
are  divided  only  on  the  question  respecting  the  powers  of  a  repub- 
lican government. 

When  once  it  was  settled,  by  the  surrender  of  Yorktown,  that 
monarchical  government  was  at  an  end  in  the  colonies,  those  along 
the  Cape  Fear  that  had  felt  themselves  bound  to  support  the  royal 
authority  while  that  authority  could  be  supported,  joined  heartily 
with  their  countrymen,  who  had  all  along  been  struggling  for  the 
independence  of  the  colonies,  in  preparing  and  adopting  and  de- 
fending the  constitution  that  guards  our  liberties.  But  it  is  to  be 
remembered  that  the  most  earnest  defenders  of  the  rights  of  the 
crown,  along  Cape  Fear,    contemplated  monarchy  as  hedged  in 


POLITICAL    OPINIONS    OF    SCOTCH    EMIGRANTS.  147 

and  centralled  by  the  principles  of  their  Solemn  League  and  Cove- 
nant, which  in  due  time  lead  all  men  that  adopt  them,  to  struggle 
as  for  life,  for  the  liberty  of  conscience  and  freedom  of  property  and 
person.  The  free  church  of  Scotland  have  struggled  nobly  for 
the  first ;  one  more  step,  and  they  are  republicans  of  the  American 
stamp.  Martin,  who  knew  the  power  of  an  oath  over  the  Scotch 
on  Cape  Fear,  used  it  skilfully  to  keep  them  to  their  allegiance. 
He  saw  its  power  in  Orange  and  Mecklenburg,  but  knew  not 
how  to  ingratiate  himself  with  that  peculiar  race  of  people,  in  whose 
politics,  as  among  the  Scotch,  a  strong  religious  principle  pre- 
vailed. 


148  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

FLORA       M'DONALD. 

Among  the  emigrants  to  the  Scotch  settlements  on  the  Cape 
Fear,  was  Flora  McDonald,  a  name  held  in  the  highest  reverence 
in  the  traditions  of  North  Carolina  and  the  Highlands  of  Scotland, 
though  English  history  has  given  her  neither  a  name  nor  a  place 
in  her  pages,  crowded  with  the  events  and  personages  of  that  day, 
that  no  human  art  can  save  from  the  oblivion  they  deserve.  With 
or  without  history,  the  descendants  of  the  Highlanders  in  North 
Carolina  will  love  the  name  of  Flora  McDonald,  while  female  ex- 
cellence can  be  found  among  their  sisters  and  daughters. 

In  those  heart-stirring  events  that  succeeded  the  rising  in  favor 
of  the  Pretender,  and  led  to  the  emigration  of  the  Scotch  settle- 
ment on  the  Cape  Fear  river,  Flora  McDonald  first  makes  her  ap- 
pearance, a  young  and  blooming  girl ;  in  the  troubles  and  dis- 
tresses that  affected  the  honest  yet  divided  Scotch  in  Carolina,  at 
the  commencement  of  the  American  Revolution,  she  is  the  digni- 
fied matron ;  before  the  disasters  and  radical  principles  of  the 
French  Revolution  troubled  her  country  and  employed  her  chil- 
ren,  she  was  carried  to  the  cemetery  of  Kilmuir. 

The  most  romantic  escape  of  the  Pretender,  Prince  Charles 
Edward,  in  his  five  months'  wanderings  in  the  Highlands  of  Scot- 
land, hunted  from  mountain  to  dell,  from  crag  to  cavern,  by  day 
and  by  night,  by  the  soldiers  of  the  Duke  of  Cumberland,  and  a 
price  set  upon  his  head  as  a  fugitive  felon,  was  planned  and  ex- 
ecuted by  the  McDonalds,  the  most  powerful  of  whom  had  op- 
posed the  attempt  to  place  the  Prince  upon  the  throne,  as  a  hope- 
less rebellion,  and  many  of  whom  were  bearing  arms  for  the 
house  of  Hanover  ;  and  some  even  then  leading  forces  in  search 
of  the  Royal  fugitive,  into  the  wilds  and  fastnesses  of  the  High- 
lands and  the  Western  Isles. 

Roderick  Mackenzie  aided  the  flight  of  the  Prince  by  his  chival- 
rous death  ;  Flora  McDonald  by  her  romantic  spirit  and  womanly 
contrivance.  "  This  young  man,"  says  one,  "  sought  conceal- 
ment in  the  mountains  of  Ross-shire  after  the  battle  of  Culloden, 
and  was  surprised  by  a  party  of  soldiers  sent  in  pursuit  of  Charles 
Edward.       His   age,  his  figure,  his   air,  deceiving  the  military 


FLORA    M'DONALD.  149 

completely,  they  were  going  to  secure  him,  believing  they  had 
got  hold  of  the  true  prince.  Mackenzie  perceiving  their  mistake, 
with  great  fortitude  and  presence  of  mind  instantly  resolves  to 
render  it  useful  to  his  master.  He  drew  his  sword,  and  the 
courage  with  which  he  defended  himself,  satisfied  these  soldiers 
that  he  could  be  no  other  than  the  Pretender.  One  of  them  fired 
at  him  ;  Mackenzie  fell,  and  with  his  last  breath  exclaimed — '  You 
have  killed  your  Prince.'  This  generous  sacrifice  suspended  for 
the  time  all  pursuit,  and  afforded  an  opportunity  for  the  unfor- 
tunate Charles  to  escape  from  the  hands  of  his  enemies." 

The  escape  by  the  aid  of  Flora  was  less  bloody  and  more  ro- 
mantic. With  great  difficulty  he  had  made  his  way  across  the 
Highlands  to  the  western  shore,  and  setting  sail  in  an  eight-oared 
boat  from  the  farm  of  Arasag,  after  encountering  a  most  furious 
storm,  such  as  are  frequent  on  that  northern  sea,  when,  in  the 
language  of  Ossian,  "  The  thunder  of  the  skies,  as  a  rock, 
penetrated  the  heavens,  and  a  fiery  pillar  issued  from  the  black 
cloud,"  he  landed  on  one  of  the  western  islands,  South  Uist,  and 
found  a  shelter  for  a  time  at  Ormaclet,  with  Laird  McDonald,  of 
Clan  Ronald.  The  keen  scent  of  his  pursuers  at  length  traced 
him  to  this  place,  and  three  thousand  soldiers,  red  coats  as  they 
were  called,  were  sent  to  search  the  island,  through  every  dell, 
and  rock,  and  crag,  and  cottage  ;  and  armed  vessels  were  station- 
ed all  around  to  intercept  every  ship  or  boat  that  might  attempt  to 
leave  the  shore  and  convey  away  the  royal  fugitive.  Many  pro- 
jects for  his  escape  were  proposed  by  his  anxious  friends,  and  laid 
aside  in  rapid  succession.  At  length  Lady  McDonald  suggested 
a  romantic  plan, — that,  arrayed  in  female  clothes,  he  should  ac- 
company a  lady  as  her  waiting  woman,  or  servant  maid.  Two 
difficulties  were  to  be  encountered ;  what  lady  would  engage  in 
the  dangerous,  though  romantic  enterprise  ?  and  how  should  they 
obtain  a  passport  from  the  hostile  officers  for  such  a  company  to 
leave  the  island  ?  Two  young  ladies  in  the  house  of  McDonald 
were  appealed  to,  but  their  courage  was  less  than  their  tenderness. 

At  this  critical  time,  who  should  come  to  the  house  of  Laird 
McDonald  but  the  kind  and  beautiful  Flora,  from  Millburg,  in  the 
same  island,  to  visit  her  relations,  on  her  return  from  Edinburgh, 
having  just  completed  her  education  in  that  metropolis.  The  father 
of  this  accomplished  young  lady  had  been  some  time  dead,  and 
her  mother  was  united  in  marriage  with  Captain  Hugh  McDonald, 
the  one  eyed ;  the  son  of  Samuel,  the  son  of  great  James,  the  son 
of  young  Blue  Donald,  of  Armadale,  in  the  Isle  of  Skye.     Her 


150  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

step-father,  Capt.  Hugh  McDonald,  was  then  in  Uist,  in  command 
of  a  company  of  the  clan  McDonald,  in  the  service  of  King 
George,  searching  for  the  Prince. 

The  peculiar  feelings  of  the  Scotch  towards  the  Royal  family 
of  their  nation  is  beautifully  exhibited  in  the  occurrences  connect- 
ed with  that  young  lady's  visit.  While  these  McDonalds  could 
not  take  arms  to  place  the  prince  upon  the  throne,  esteeming  the 
effort  madness,  and  were  defending  the  reigning  house  of  Hano- 
ver, and  even  then  in  arms  in  search  of  Charles,  hemmed  in 
among  the  crags  of  Uist,  they  could  not  find  it  in  their  heart  to 
seize  him,  now  in  their  power,  though  some  of  them  were  so 
pressed  with  debt  that  the  large  reward  offered  might  have  been 
a  temptation,  and  the  fines  and  confiscations  that  would  follow  sus- 
picion of  their  favor  for  the  Pretender,  might  have  been  a  suffi- 
cient reason  to  hold  them  back  from  any  effort  for  his  escape. 
"  Will  you,"  says  the  lady  of  Laird  McDonald  to  Flora,  after 
making  her  acquainted  with  the  presence  and  hiding-place  of  the 
Prince  on  the  island,  and  the  plan  she  was  meditating  for  his 
escape,  "  will  you  expose  yourself  to  this  danger  to  aid  the  escape 
of  the  Prince  from  his  enemies  that  have  him  here  enclosed  ?"  The 
maiden  answered,  "  Since  I  am  to  die,  and  can  die  but  once,  I 
am  perfectly  willing  to  put  my  life  in  jeopardy  to  save  his  Royal 
Highness  from  the  danger  which  now  besets  him."  Delighted 
with  this  response,  the  lady  opened  the  matter  to  an  officer  named 
O'Neill,  who  expressed  the  same  romantic  desire  to  aid  the  escape 
of  the  very  man  for  the  apprehension  of  whom  he  was  then  in 
arms.  He  accompanied  Flora  to  Carradale,  a  rocky,  craggy,  wild, 
sequestered  place,  where  the  Prince  lay  concealed,  in  a  cave,  that 
they  might  concert  with  him  the  details  of  the  plan  of  his  escape. 
On  entering  the  cave  they  found  the  Prince  alone,  broiling  a  small 
fresh  fish  upon  the  coals  for  his  lonely  repast.  Startled  at  their 
approach,  and  supposing  his  retreat  had  been  discovered  by  the 
soldiers,  and  escape  to  be  hopeless,  he  put  himself  on  the  defence 
to  sell  his  life  as  dearly  as  his  dignity  required.  The  gallant 
young  officer  and  the  beautiful  lady  do  him  reverence  as  a  prince. 
At  their  kind  salutations  his  alarm  gives  place  to  astonishment ; 
and  the  unfolding  of  the  plan  for  his  escape  from  his  desperate 
condition,  filled  his  heart  with  unmeasured  delight.  After  a  short 
interview,  Flora  left  him,  and  calling  on  her  brother  at  Millburg, 
finds  a  youth,  Neill  McDonald,  the  son  of  Hector,  as  noble,  gen- 
erous, and  romantic  as  herself,  who  entered  with  devotion  into  the 
plan  for  the  escape  of  the  Prince,  in  whose  company  she  returns 


FLORA    M'DONALD.  151 

to  Ormaclet,  to  complete  the  preparations  for  the  departure  from 
the  island. 

The  most  important  step  was  to  procure  a  passport  from  the 
island,  that  might  protect  them  from  the  search  of  officers,  and 
detention  by  the  vessels  on  the  coast.  Flora  at  length  obtained 
one  from  her  step-father,  Captain  Hugh  McDonald,  for  herself, 
her  youthful  companion  Neill  McDonald,  and  three  others,  to  con- 
stitute a  boat's  crew,  and  also  for  her  serving  maid,  Betsey 
Burke,  a  stout  Irishwoman,  whom  Flora  pretended  she  had  en- 
gaged for  the  special  purpose  of  becoming  her  mother's  spinster, 
at  Armadale,  in  Skye.  As  the  Captain  gave  the  passport,  and 
wrote  by  Flora  a  letter  recommendatory  of  Betsey  Burke  as  a 
spinster,  it  is  conjectured,  not  without  reason,  that  he  was  not 
altogether  unaware  of  the  designs  of  his  fair  step-daughter,  though 
he  wisely  kept  himself  in  ignorance. 

While  the  arrangements  were  in  progress  for  this  visit  of  Flora 
to  her  mother,  in  Skye,  Allan  McDonald,  of  the  hill,  arrived  at 
Ormaclet  with  a  company  of  soldiers  in  search  for  the  Prince, 
without  any  particular  suspicions  that  the  fugitive  was  near,  or 
any  thought  that  his  fair  kinswoman  was  concerting  a  plan  of 
escape  which  his  presence  might  particularly  discommode.  There 
was  now  no  time  to  be  lost.  Flora,  hastening  to  his  hiding-place, 
clothes  the  Prince  in  the  attire  of  an  Irish  serving  woman,  and  on 
the  afternoon  of  Saturday,  the  28th  of  June,  1746,  the  party  em- 
bark fromUist  for  the  isle  of  Skye.  Soon  after  they  launch  forth, 
there  comes  upon  them  a  furious  storm  of  wind.  Tossed  to  and 
fro,  and  driven  about  all  night,  the  courage  of  the  maiden  never 
forsakes  her ;  anxious  for  her  charge,  rather  than  for  herself,  she 
encourages  the  men  not  to  turn  back.  Inspirited  by  the  exhorta- 
tions of  the  maiden,  the  oarsmen  exert  their  utmost  strength,  and 
surmounting  all  the  dangers  of  the  tempest,  at  dawn  of  day  they 
approach  Point  Vatermish  in  the  Isle  of  Skye.  As  they  draw 
near,  however,  the  sight  of  a  band  of  soldiers  drawn  up  upon  the 
shore  to  receive  the  boat,  turns  them  back  to  the  ocean  ;  and  the 
volleys  discharged  at  them  by  the  soldiers  hasten  their  flight,  while 
the  balls  are  whistling  by  and  rebounding  from  the  waves.  Turn- 
ing eastwardly  they  pursue  their  course,  and  about  noon,  on  Sab- 
bath, land  at  Kilbride,  in  the  parish  of  Kilmuir,  near  the  Magustat- 
house,  the  residence  of  Sir  Alexander  McDonald,  the  Laird  of 
Sleite,  to  repose  like  the  dove  after  her  flight  over  the  waters,  for 
a  little  space,  in  the  ark. 

Concealing  the  Prince  in  a  hollow  rock  on  the  beach,  Flora  re- 


152  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

paired  to  the  chieftain's  mansion,  and  met  a  most  cordial  reception 
from  Lady  McDonald,  in  the  absence  of  the  Laird.  The  hall  was 
full  of  officers,  whose  sole  business  was  to  search  for  the  royal 
fugitive  ;  and  the  Laird  himself  was  known  to  be  hostile  to  his 
pretensions.  The  maiden,  more  self-possessed  from  the  danger, 
with  confiding  enthusiasm  makes  known  to  the  lady  the  hiding- 
place  of  the  Prince,  and  the  circumstances  of  his  escape  from 
Uist.  The  lady's  heart  answers  to  the  maiden's  confidence,  and 
she  espouses  her  cause,  and  sends  by  Alexander  McDonald,  the 
Laird  of  Kingsburg,  Baillie  to  Sir  Alexander,  her  husband,  who 
happened  to  be  in  the  house,  refreshments  of  wine  and  other 
comforts  suited  to  the  necessities  of  the  fatigued  and  distressed 
wanderer.  By  advice  of  Lady  McDonald,  who  feared  discovery 
from  the  numerous  officers  and  soldiers  then  on  the  estate,  Flora 
and  Betsey  Burke  set  out  immediately  for  Kingsburg,  about 
twelve  miles  distant,  accompanied  by  the  Baillie  as  their  guide. 
On  their  way  they  met  many  of  the  country  people  returning  from 
church,  whose  curiosity  was  much  excited  by  the  coarse,  negli- 
gent, clumsy-looking,  long-legged  female  figure  that  accompanied 
the  Laird  and  the  maiden.  Without  any  indignity  or  suspicion 
they  reached  the  place  of  their  destination  about  sunset,  wearied 
from  the  storm  and  perils  of  the  preceding  night,  and  the  escapes 
and  journeys  of  the  day.  The  next  morning  Flora  accompanied 
the  Prince  to  Portaree,  and  there  bid  him  adieu.  On  parting  he 
kissed  her,  and  said,  "  Gentle,  faithful  maiden,  I  entertain  the 
hope  that  we  shall  yet  meet  in  the  Palace  Royal."  They  never 
met  again  ;  the  hopes  of  the  Prince  were  as  unsubstantial  and 
evanescent  as  the  shadows  of  the  clouds,  and  the  fogs  that  rest 
upon  the  hills.  His  escape  was  the  work  not  of  his  chivalry  or 
courage,  but  of  woman's  tenderness,  and  the  loyal  feelings  of 
Scottish  hearts. 

From  Portaree,  the  Prince  took  passage  to  Raarsay  ;  and  from 
that  island  he  went  to  Straith  McKinnon,  having  for  his  guide  a 
poor  man,  Malcolm  McLeod,  whose  pack  he  carried  as  a  paid 
servant,  to  escape  observation.  From  thence,  he  took  passage  by 
water  to  Arasag,  and  then -wandered  through  Arasag  and  Moodart 
and  the  roughest  of  the  Highlands,  enduring  incredible  hardships, 
till  about  the  middle  of  autumn  he  found  vessels  to  convey  him 
and  a  few  friends  to  France,  leaving  Scotland  as  unattended  as  he 
entered,  hopeless  of  his  crown,  multitudes  of  his  friends  butchered, 
and  others  beggared  or  in  exile,  his  resources  all  exhausted,  him- 
self the    scorn    of   France  and   pity  of    the  world.     With  him 


FLORA    m'dONALD.  153 

sailed  to  France  Neill  McDonald,  who  assisted  in  his  flight  from 
Uist,  and  had  shared  his  fortunes  during  his  wanderings.  The 
enthusiasm  of  his  fair  kinswoman  dwelt  in  his  bosom,  and  spread 
itself  through  the  youth  of  the  Highlands,  and  rendered  the  cap- 
ture of  the  Prince  more  hopeless  ;  after  the  exploit  of  the  maiden 
and  the  two  ladies  McDonald,  who  would  hesitate  to  give  him 
succor  and  conceal  his  retreat?  Neill  McDonald  remained  in 
France  ;  and  his  son  became  famous  in  the  wars  of  the  French 
Revolution,  being  made  marshal  by  Buonaparte,  and  for  his  suc- 
cess created  Duke  of  Tarentum.  Had  the  unfortunate  Charles 
Edward  possessed  a  spirit  to  command,  equal  to  the  courage  and 
daring  of  his  friends,  the  house  of  Stuart  might  now  occupy  the 
throne  of  England. 

After  the  escape  of  the  Prince  to  France,  the  troubles  of  Flora 
McDonald  commenced.  Incensed  at  the  loss  of  their  victim,  and 
not  satisfied  with  the  possession  of  the  kingdom,  and  the  execu- 
tions that  the  plea  of  necessity  may  have  justified,  the  officers  of 
the  crown  seized  on  those  who  were  known  to  have  aided  the 
Prince  in  his  flight,  and  conveyed  them  to  London  as  state  pri- 
soners, for  sending  from  the  island  the  cause  of  the  late  disturbance, 
routed,  broken  down  and  discouraged,  and  at  once  delivering  the 
crown  from  farther  cause  of  uneasiness,  and  the  country  from 
agitation.  Flora  was  arrested,  and  together  with  Malcolm  Mc- 
Leod,  whose  pack  the  prince  had  carried,  McKinnon  of  the 
Straith,  who  received  him  from  McLeod,  and  McDonald  of  Kings- 
burg,  who  aided  Flora  on  the  29th  of  June,  were  taken  to  London 
and  confined  in  the  Tower  as  prisoners  of  state,  to  be  tried  for 
their  life,  as  aiding  and  abetting  attempts  against  the  life  and 
crown  of  King  George.  The  example  of  the  young  lady  in 
rousing  up  her  countrymen,  however  friendly  to  the  house  of 
Hanover,  to  promote  the  escape  of  one  whom  they  could  not,  and 
perhaps  on  account  of  his  religion,  would  not  make  king,  turned 
the  indignation  of  those  who  had  lost  the  splendid  reward  offered 
for  the  Pretender  dead  or  alive,  upon  herself  and  her  friends. 
During  their  confinement,  the  nobility  of  England  became  deeply 
interested  in  the  beautiful  and  high  spirited  Flora,  especially  as  she 
was  not  a  partisan  of  the  Pretender,  nor  of  his  religious  faith. 
Her  devotion  to  royalty,  so  romantically  expressed,  won  the  favor 
of  Prince  Frederick  the  heir  apparent,  great  grandfather  of  Vic- 
toria, the  present  queen  of  England  ;  visiting  her  in  prison,  he 
became  enlisted  in  her  favor  most  strongly  ;  she  awakened  in  his 
bosom  the  chivalric  gallantry  she  had  called  forth  in  her  country- 


154  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

men  ;  and  by  his  strenuous  exertions  he  procured  her  release, 
greatly  to  his  own  honor  and  the  prosperity  of  the  kingdom,  and 
the  popularity  of  the  king. 

After  being  set  at  liberty,  her  residence,  while  she  remained  in 
London,  was  surrounded  by  the  carriages  of  the  nobility  and 
gentry,  who  paid  their  respects  personally,  congratulating  her  on 
her  enterprise,  her  courage,  her  loyalty,  and  her  release.  Lady 
Primrose,  a  favorer  of  the  Pretender,  a  lady  of  wealth  and  distinc- 
tion, introduced  her  to  the  court  society,  and  by  her  example  and 
influence,  obtained  large  presents  to  make  her  forget  her  captivity, 
and  to  meet  the  expenses  of  her  detention  and  her  return  to  her 
own  country.  The  tradition  in  Carolina,  where  she  afterwards 
lived,  is,  that  "  she  received  golden  ornaments  and  coin  enough  to 
fill  a  half  bushel."  She  was  introduced  to  the  king,  George  II.  ; 
and  to  his  somewhat  ungallant  inquiry — "  How  could  you  dare  to 
succor  the  enemy  of  my  crown  and  kingdom  ?"  she  replied 
with  great  simplicity — "  It  was  no  more  than  I  would  have  done 
for  your  majesty,  had  you  been  in  like  situation."  A  chaise  and 
four  were  fitted  up  for  her  return  to  Scotland  ;  for  her  escort  she 
chose  a  fellow  prisoner,  Malcolm  McLeod,  who  used  afterwards 
to  boast,  "  that  he  went  to  London  to  be  hanged — but  rode  back  in 
a  chaise  and  four  with  Flora  McDonald." 

Four  years  after  her  return  to  Scotland  she  was  married  to  Allan 
McDonald,  son  of  the  Laird  of  Kingsburg,  who,  at  the  death  of  his 
father,  succeeded  to  the  estate  and  title  ;  and  thus  she  became 
mistress  of  the  very  mansion  in  which  the  Prince  passed  his  first 
night  in  the  Isle  of  Skye,  June  29th,  1746,  after  the  romantic  escape 
from  Uist.  Dr.  Johnson  and  Mr.  Boswell,  in  their  tour  to  the 
Hebrides  in  1773,  were  hospitably  entertained  by  Allan  and  Flora 
McDonald,  and  were  greatly  gratified  by  being  put  to  sleep  in  the 
same  bed  in  which  the  unfortunate  Charles  Edward  had  slept  the 
night  he  passed  upon  the  island.  Flora,  though  then  more  than 
twenty  years  a  wife,  and  the  mother  of  numerous  children,  still 
retained  her  blooming  countenance  and  genteel  form,  and  was  full 
of  the  enthusiasm  of  her  youth.  On  account  of  the  pecuniary  em- 
barrassments of  her  husband,  they  were  then,  the  doctor  tells  us, 
in  his  journal,  contemplating  a  removal  to  North  Carolina,  to  join 
their  countrymen  and  friends  on  the  Cape  Fear  river,  sent  thither 
immediately  after  the  rebellion  of  1745.  From  that  period  the 
sandy  country  of  the  Carolinas  had  been  the  refuge  of  the  High- 
landers, whether  they  fled  from  poverty  or  oppression,  or  were 
drawn  by  the  desire  of  being  independent  landholders  and  wealthy 


FLORA  M'DONALD.  155 

men.  In  the  year  1775,  just  as  the  troubles  in  the  American  colo- 
nies were  turning  into  rebellion  against  the  tyranny  of  England, 
and  the  assertion  of  independence  of  all  foreign  control,  Allan  and 
Flora,  with  their  family  and  some  friends,  landed  in  North  Carolina 
and  took  their  abode  for  a  short  time  at  Cross  Creek,  now  Fayette- 
ville.  The  place  of  her  residence  was  destroyed  by  the  great  fire 
that  swept  off  a  large  part  of  the  town  one  Sabbath  in  the  summer 
of  182-.  The  ruins  of  this  dwelling  are  still  to  be  seen  as  you 
pass  from  the  market-house  to  the  court-house,  on  your  right  hand, 
just  before  you  cross  the  creek,  not  far  from  the  office  built  out 
over  the  stream.  After  a  short  stay  in  this  place,  they  removed  to 
Cameron's  Hill,  in  the  Barbacue  congregation,  about  twenty  miles 
above  Fayetteville,  in  Cumberland  county.  While  residing  at 
this  place,  Mrs.  Smith,  now  living  in  Robeson  county,  from  whom 
much  of  the  information  respecting  Flora  was  derived,  remembers 
seeing  her,  at  the  Barbacue  church,  a  dignified  and  handsome 
woman,  to  whom  all  paid  great  respect.  They  afterwards  removed 
farther  up  the  country  into  Anson  county.  While  residing  there, 
Donald  McDonald,  a  relation  of  Flora's,  who  had  been  an  officer 
in  the  Pretender's  army  in  1745,  and  had  taken  the  oath  of  allegi- 
ance and  emigrated  to  save  his  life,  was  commissioned  by  Governor 
Martin  as  general  in  the  service  of  his  Majesty  George  III.  On 
the  1st  of  February,  1776,  he  issued  his  proclamation  calling  on 
all  loyal  and  true  Highlanders  to  join  his  standard  at  Cross  Creek. 
Some  fifteen  hundred  men  soon  assembled  in  arms ;  some  of  whom 
were  sincerely  attached  to  the  house  of  Hanover,  and  others  were 
under  oaths  of  allegiance  to  which  they  owed  their  life,  and,  as 
some  believed,  their  property.  With  these  were  assembled  Kings- 
burg  McDonald,  the  husband  of  Flora,  with  their  kindred  and 
neighbors,  animated  by  the  spirit  of  this  matron,  who  now,  on  her 
former  principles,  defended  George  III.  as  readily  as  she  had  aided 
the  unfortunate  Charles  Edward  about  thirty  years  before.  Tra- 
dition says  she  accompanied  her  husband  and  neighbors  to  Cross- 
wicks,  and  communicated  her  own  enthusiasm  to  the  assembled 
Scotch.  From  this  fact  it  has  been  supposed  by  some,  that  she 
followed  the  army  in  its  march  to  join  Governor  Martin  at  the 
mouth  of  Cape  Fear.  Mrs.  Smith,  however,  expressly  asserts  that 
she  did  not  follow  the  army  ;  but  returned  to  her  residence  in  An- 
son, when  the  army  first  moved  up  Rockfish,  as  it  did  in  a  short 
time,  in  preparation  to  march  down  the  river. 

On  their  march  down  the  river  the  forces  of  General  McDonald 
were  met  by  Colonels  Lillington  and  Caswell,  near  the  mouth  of 


156  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

Moore's  Creek,  in  New  Hanover,  and  after  a  severe  engagement, 
on  the  27th,  were  entirely  routed  and  dispersed,  taken  prisoners  or 
killed.  Among  the  prisoners  was  the  husband  of  Flora,  who 
served  as  captain. 

After  the  release  of  her  husband  from  Halifax  jail,  the  place  of 
confinement  for  the  officers  taken  in  the  battle,  having  suffered 
much  in  their  estate  from  the  plunderings  and  confiscations  to  which 
the  Royalists  were  exposed,  they  with  their  family  embarked  in  a 
sloop  of  war  for  their  native  land.  On  the  voyage  home,  the  sloop 
was  attacked  by  a  French  vessel  of  war ;  and  as  the  engagement 
grew  warm  the  courage  of  the  sailors  deserted  them,  and  capture 
seemed  inevitable.  Ascending  the  quarter  deck,  she  animated  the 
men  to  renew  the  conflict  with  activity  and  courage,  nothing 
daunted  by  a  wound  she  received  in  her  hand.  The  sight  of  the 
courageous  and  wounded  woman  aroused  the  spirit  of  the  crew  to 
the  highest  pitch.  Having  beaten  off  the  enemy,  they  landed 
Flora  and  the  family  safe  on  their  native  soil,  from  which  she 
never  again  departed.  She  used  sometimes  to  remark  pleasantly 
on  the  peculiarity  of  her  condition,  "  I  have  hazarded  my  life  both 
for  the  house  of  Stuart  and  the  house  of  Hanover  ;  and  I  do  not 
see  that  I  am  a  great  gainer  by  it." 

To  the  close  of  her  life  she  was  of  a  gentle,  affable  demeanor, 
and  greatly  beloved  ;  her  modesty  and  self-respect  were  blended 
with  kindness  and  benevolence.  There  were  none  of  those  mas- 
culine passions  and  habits,  or  tempers,  so  commonly  connected  in 
our  thoughts  with  acts  of  bravery  performed  by  females.  She  was 
always  womanly  in  her  course,  and  always  lovely.  The  mother 
of  a  numerous  family,  five  sons  and  two  daughters,  she  inspired 
them  all  with  her  spirit  of  loyalty  and  adventure  ;  the  sons  all  be- 
came military  officers,  and  were  faithful  to  their  king  and  country  ; 
the  daughters  were  married  to  military  men,  and  maintained  their 
loyalty  and  their  honor,  as  true  descendants  of  such  a  mother. 
Loyalty  in  these  ladies  had  no  servility  in  it ;  it  was  a  sense  of  the 
necessity  of  a  firm  and  established  government  to  execute  laws 
for  the  peace  of  the  community,  and  a  conviction  that  a  restricted 
monarchy  was  the  best  form  of  government,  and  that  a  hereditary 
was  better  than  an  elective  crown.  The  most  desolating  wars 
in  the  history  of  their  country  had  been  waged  by  disputants  for 
the  crown. 

The  eventful  life  of  this  amiable  lady  was  closed  March  5th, 
1790.  We  have  no  record  of  the  mental  and  religious  exercises 
of  her  last  moments.     She  was  educated,  lived,  and  died  in  the 


FLORA  M'DONALD.  157 

Presbyterian  faith,  the  faith  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  ;  and  never 
sympathized  in  the  religious  creed  of  the  Pretender,  whose  life  she 
saved.  It  was  not  so  much  admiration  of  the  Prince,  as  a  charac- 
ter or  a  man,  as  the  workings  of  her  own  kind  heart  and  noble 
soul  in  looking  upon  her  hereditary  Prince  in  distress,  that  moved 
her  to  the  romantic  and  hazardous  enterprise  of  his  escape  from 
Uist.  An  immense  concourse  of  people  were  assembled  at  her 
funeral ;  not  less  than  three  thousand  persons  followed  the  corpse 
to  the  grave  in  the  cemetery  of  Kilmuir,  in  the  Isle  of  Skye.  Ac- 
cording to  a  request  long  previously  expressed,  her  shroud  was 
made  of  the  identical  sheets  in  which  the  Prince  reposed  the  night 
he  slept  at  Kingsburg, — thus  carrying  to  her  grave  the  romantic 
spirit  of  her  youth. 

A  writer  who  visited  the  cemetery  in  September,  1841,  says  : 
"  There  is  not  so  much  as  one  of  that  family  in  the  land  of  the 
living.  At  the  end  of  two  years  the  body  of  her  husband  was  de- 
posited in  a  grave  by  her  side, — where,  alas,  all  her  offspring  now 
silently  slumber.  Thus  is  Flora  McDonald,  she  who  once  was 
beautiful  as  the  flower  of  the  morning,  now  reposing  beneath  a 
green  hillock  ;  and  no  monument,  as  yet,  has  been  erected  to  per- 
petuate the  memory  of  her  faithfulness  or  her  achievements  ! 
Thus  the  beauty  of  the  world  shall  pass  away  !" 

Though  no  monument  be  erected  in  England  or  in  Scotland  to 
her  memory  ;  though  no  page  of  English  history  shall  inscribe  her 
worth,  because  displayed  in  an  unpopular  cause  ;  though  from  the 
time  of  that  ill-planned  and  ill-fated  rebellion,  the  whole  policy  of 
England  towards  her  native  country  has  been  to  annihilate  the 
habits,  and  the  very  language  and  dress  of  the  Highlands,  and  of 
her  youth,  her  memory  will  live  in  North  Carolina  while  nobleness 
has  admirers,  and  romantic  self-devotion  to  the  welfare  of  the 
distressed  can  charm  the  heart.  And  will  not  that  be  for  ever  ? 
Will  not  posterity  admire  her  more  than  Prince  Charles  who 
led  his  followers  to  slaughter  ?  or  George  II.,  who  envied  the 
popularity  of  his  own  son  ?  and  draw  more  instruction  from  her 
romance,  and  affection,  and  boldness,  and  devotion,  and  womanly 
graces,  and  feminine  loveliness,  than  from  all  the  court  of  Eng- 
land that  fill  the  histories  of  that  by-gone  period  ? 

Massachusetts  has  her  Lady  Arabella  ;  Virginia  her  Pocahontas  ; 
and  North  Carolina  her  Flora  McDonald. 


158  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

HUGH  M'ADEN  AND  THE   CHURCHES  IN  DUPLIN,  NEW  HANOVER, 
AND  CASWELL. 

The  first  ordained  minister  that  took  his  abode  among  the  Pres- 
byterian settlements  in  North  Carolina,  was  the  Rev.  James 
Campbell,  on  the  Cape  Fear  river.  The  first  missionary  whose 
journal,  or  parts  of  journal,  has  been  preserved,  is  Hugh  McAden 
(or  as  sometimes  spelled  McGadden),  who  was  also  the  first 
missionary  that  settled  in  the  State. 

The  first  Presbyterian  minister  that  preached  in  North  Caro- 
lina of  whom  we  have  any  knowledge,  was  William  Robinson, 
famous  in  the  annals  of  the  Virginia  churches,  of  whom  the 
Rev.  Samuel  Davies  says, — "  that  favored  man,  Mr.  Robinson, 
whose  success,  whenever  I  reflect  upon  it,  astonishes  me."  This 
eminent  missionary  passed  through  Virginia  to  North  Carolina, 
and  spent  a  part  of  the  winter  of  1742  and  1743,  among  Pres- 
byterian settlements.  It  was  on  his  return  from  Carolina,  and 
while  preaching  at  Cub  Creek,  in  Charlotte  county,  that  the  mes- 
senger from  Hanover  county  waited  upon  him  and  persuaded  him 
to  visit  that  county,  in  which  were  no  settlements  of  Presbyterian 
emigrants,  and  which  of  course  had  not  been  included  either  in 
his  original  mission,  or  his  intended  route  homeward. 

We  are  not  able  to  ascertain  the  places  with  precision,  which 
he  visited,  but  as  the  Presbyterian  settlements  in  the  county  of 
Duplin  and  New  Hanover  were  the  oldest  in  the  State,  and  there 
were  none  others  at  that  time  of  much  strength,  the  probability 
is  that  Duplin  and  New  Hanover  were  the  places  he  visited,  and 
the  scattered  settlements  then  commenced  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  State  also  received  some  attention.  Mr.  Davies  tells  us  that 
the  success  attending  the  ministry  of  this  eminent  man,  so  abun- 
dant in  Virginia,  was  very  small  in  Carolina.  It  is  probably 
owing  to  that  fact  that  the  whole  history  of  his  mission  is  cir- 
cumscribed in  the  single  statement,  that  he  visited  the  country 
through  much  exposure,  and  many  hardships,  owing  to  the  un- 
settled wilderness  through  which  he  had  to  pass. 

Supplications  were  sent  from  Carolina  to  the  Synod  of  Phila- 


HUGH    M ADEN.  159 

delphia  as  early  as  the  year  1744.  The  records  speak  of  them  as 
having  come  "from  many  people,"  but  do  not  tell  us  from  what 
section  of  the  State  they  were  sent.  In  the  year  1753,  two  mission- 
aries were  sent  by  the  direction  of  the  Synod  to  visit  Virginia  and 
North  Carolina,  Mr.  McMordie  and  Mr.  Donaldson  ;  but  there  is 
no  mention  made  of  the  settlements  they  were  to  visit,  further 
than  they  were  "  to  show  special  regard "  to  the  vacancies  of 
North  Carolina,  especially  betwixt  Atkin  (Yadkin)  and  Catawba 
rivers.  In  the  year  1754  the  Synod  of  New  York  directed  four 
ministers,  Messrs.  Beatty,  Bostwick,  Lewis,  and  Thane,  to  visit 
the  States  of  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  each  three  months,  but 
no  particular  places  are  specified.  In  1755,  the  same  Synod  ap- 
pointed two  other  missionaries,  and  named  some  places  in  the 
upper  part  of  the  State ;  but  owing  to  the  disturbances  in  the 
country  from  the  depredations  of  the  Indians,  this  mission  was 
not  fulfilled. 

The  settlement  of  Presbyterians  in  Duplin  county  is  probably 
the  oldest  large  settlement  of  that  denomination  in  the  State. 
About  the  year  1736,  or  perhaps  1737,  one  Henry  McCulloch 
induced  a  colony  of  Presbyterians  from  the  province  of  Ulster,  in 
Ireland,  to  settle  in  Duplin  county,  North  Carolina,  on  lands  he 
had  obtained  from  his  majesty,  George  II.  The  stipulated  con- 
dition of  the  grant,  or  promised  grant,  was,  that  he  should  pro- 
cure a  certain  number  of  settlers  to  occupy  the  wide  forests,  as 
an  inducement  to  other  emigrants  to  seek  a  residence  in  the  un- 
occupied regions  of  Carolina.  His  son  reported  between  three 
and  four  hundred  emigrants,  for  whose  introduction  he  retained 
about  sixty-four  thousand  acres  of  land.  The  descendants  of 
these  emigrants  are  found  in  Duplin,  New  Hanover,  and  Samp- 
son counties — the  family  names  indicating  their  origin.  The 
Grove  congregation,  whose  place  of  worship  is  about  three  miles 
southeast  of  Duplin  court-house,  traces  its  origin  to  the  church 
formed  from  this,  the  oldest  Presbyterian  settlement  in  the  State, 
whose  principal  place  of  worship  was  at  first  called  Goshen. 

Nearer  Wilmington  was  a  settlement  on  what  was  called  the 
Welch  Tract,  on  the  northeast  Cape  Fear. 

This  was  composed  at  first  of  Welch  emigrants,  but  after  a 
short  period  other  families  were  located  on  the  tract,  and  then 
were  associated  families  enough  to  form  a  congregation  sufficiently 
large  to  invite  the  services  of  a  minister. 

These  two  settlements,  one  in  Duplin  and  the  other  in  Hanover, 
formed  the  field  of  labor  in  which  McAden  passed  the  first  part  of 


160  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

his  settled  ministry.  As  you  pass  rapidly  on  the  cars  from  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina,  after  crossing  the 
Tar  River,  and  entering  upon  the  extended  sandy  level  that 
stretches,  without  an  elevation  of  an  ordinary  hill,  through  the 
State,  abounding  in  the  species  of  pine  that  pours  forth  the  tur- 
pentine of  commerce,  you  enter  upon  the  country  roamed  over  by 
McAdcn,  in  his  ministry  in  Duplin.  Passing  on,,  with  scarce  an 
elevation  or  a  turn,  through  that  country,  and  the  unchanging 
groves  of  pines  in  New  Hanover,  till  you  cross  the  Cape  Fear, 
you  have  measured  the  space  allotted  to  him  for  the  exercise  of 
his  ministry.  A  singular  country  ;  the  wealth  of  the  inhabitants 
is  in  the  endless  forest  of  pines,  and  their  principal  employment  is 
gathering  the  product  of  these  forests  in  the  shape  of  turpentine, 
tar,  and  lumber,  for  foreign  markets.  The  grain  and  grass  crops 
are  a  secondary  consideration,  and  scarcely  supply  the  home  de- 
mand. The  supply  from  the  forest  has  hitherto  been  unfailing, 
abundant,  and  often  very  profitable.  To  one  accustomed  to  the 
cultivated  fields  of  western  Carolina,  or  the  more  northern  States, 
this  country,  in  passing  hastily  through  it  in  the  steam  cars,  ap- 
pears one  vast  solitude.  The  turpentine  groves  present  little  of 
romance  or  beauty  in  their  constantly  recurring  sameness,  while 
they  are  pouring  out  streams  of  wealth  to  an  industrious  people. 

Hugh  McAden  was  born  in  Pennsylvania ;  his  parentage  is 
traced  to  the  North  of  Ireland.  His  Alma  Mater  was  Nassau 
Hall ;  his  instructor  in  Theology,  John  Blair,  of  New  Castle  Pres- 
bytery. He  was  graduated  in  1753,  and  was  licensed  in  1755,  by 
the  Presbytery  to  which  his  instructor  belonged,  and  ordained  by 
the  same  Presbytery  in  1757  ;  and  dismissed  in  1759  to  join  Han- 
over Presbytery,  whose  limits  extended  indefinitely  south.  Com- 
paratively little  is  known  of  his  early  life,  as  his  papers  were 
almost  entirely  destroyed  by  the  British  soldiers,  in  January,  1781, 
while  the  army  of  Cornwallis,  in  the  pursuit  of  Green,  was  en- 
camped at  the  Red  House,  in  Caswell  county.  Of  the  few  papers 
that  escaped  was  the  Journal  of  his  first  trip  through  Carolina,  and 
is  the  only  document  of  the  kind  known  to  be  in  existence.  As 
it  contains  many  facts,  incidentally  stated,  that  will  now  be  useful, 
all  the  important  and  interesting  parts  of  this  brief  document  will 
be  presented,  either  verbatim,  or  in  a  condensed  form,  leaving  out 
repetitions,  and  things  that  are  likely  to  be  in  a  journal  not  intend- 
ed for  the  public,  and  which  are  not  of  lasting  importance. 


HUGH    M'ADEN.  161 


M  ADEN  S    JOURNAL. 


"  Tuesday,  June  3d,  1755. — Took  my  journey  for  Carolina  from 
Mr.  Kirkpatrick's  in  the  evening  ;  came  to  Mr.  Hall's,  where  I  tar- 
ried all  night.  Next  day  crossed  the  river  in  company  with  Mr. 
Bay  and  his  wife.  Spent  the  day  in  visiting  her  friends  on  both 
sides," — that  is,  the  old  and  new  sides  into  which  the  church  was 
then  divided.  "  Thursday  we  set  off  and  came  to  York,  forty 
miles,  with  some  difficulty,  the  weather  being  extremely  hot,  and 
no  food  for  our  horses.  A  very  bad  prospect  of  crops  appears 
everywhere,  the  ground  being  quite  burned  up  with  drought,  and 
the  corn  much  hurt  by  the  frost ;  the  green  wheat  and  meadows, 
in  some  places,  entirely  withered  up  from  the  roots  as  if  they  had 
been  scorched  by  fire.  Here  I  left  Mr.  Bay  and  his  wife,  rode 
out  in  the  afternoon  and  lodged  in  the  congregation.  Next  day 
set  off  in  the  morning  and  came  to  his  house,  where  I  stayed  for 
breakfast."  This  Mr.  Bay  was  a  Presbyterian  minister,  of  New 
Castle  Presbytery,  of  the  new  side,  and  he  speaks  as  if  it  were 
remarkable  that  he  visited  both  sides  with  Mrs.  Bay.  York  is  the 
first  town  mentioned  ;  and  the  bearing  of  his  journey,  and  cross- 
ing "  the  river,"  would  seem  to  fix  the  location  of  Mr.  Kirkpatrick  in 
Lancaster  county.  The  mention  he  here  makes  of  the  great  drought 
is  repeated  through  all  the  summer  and  fall ;  from  which  it  ap- 
pears a  severe  drought  prevailed  extensively  the  same  summer  that 
Braddock's  war  raged  so  disastrously. 

The  second  Sabbath  of  June  he  was  at  Rock  Spring,  and  con- 
tinued till  the  Friday  after ;  the  people  making  preparations  to 
attend  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  the  two  congre- 
gations, that  lay  on  each  side,  of  one  of  which  the  Rev.  James 
Campbell,  who  was  the  next  year  in  Carolina,  was  the  pastor. 
In  this  he  passed  the  third  Sabbath  of  June,  in  company  with  the 
pastor  and  the  Rev.  Andrew  Bay,  whom  he  says  he  "  heard  preach 
with  great  satisfaction."  This  Mr.  Campbell  he  had  for  his  neigh- 
bor, in  Carolina,  on  the  Cape  Fear,  in  about  a  year  from  this  ; 
the  patriarch  of  the  Scotch  churches. 

"  Monday,  June  the  16th,  set  out  from  Connegocheg,  upon  my 
journey  for  Carolina,  crossed  the  Potomac,  and  lodged  at  Mr. 
Caten's,  where  I  was  very  kindly  entertained,  and  civilly  used. 
Next  day  (Tuesday)  set  off  about  12  o'clock,  and  came  to  Win- 
chester, forty  miles,  and  tarried  all  night.  In  the  morning  rode 
out  to  Robert  Wilson's,  where  I  was  kindly  entertained.  Spent 
the  day  with  Mr.  Hogg "  (or  Hoge)      This  Mr.  Wilson  lived  a 

11 


162  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

short  distance  from  the  present  Opecquon  meeting-house,  and 
was  proverbial  for  his  hospitality.  His  house,  which  is  still  stand- 
ing, on  the  east  side  of  the  great  turnpike,  part  of  stone  and  part 
of  wood,  was  the  resort  of  preachers  in  his  day  ;  and  during  the 
time  that  Washington  was  encamped  in  Winchester,  the  resort  of 
his  Excellency.  The  Mr.  Hogg,  or  Hogge,  or  Hoge,  for  the  name 
has  been  spelled  all  these  ways,  had  been  ordained  by  New  Castle 
Presbytery  about  the  time  that  Mr.  McAden  was  licensed.  He 
was  graduated  at  Nassau  Hall,  in  1748  ;  how  long  he  had  been  at 
Opecquon  is  not  known.  He  was  the  first  settled  minister  in  that 
congregation,  the  oldest  in  the  valley. 

On  Thursday,  the  1 9th,  he  set  off  up  the  valley  of  the  Shenan- 
doah, of  which  he  says  :  "  Alone  in  the  wilderness.  Sometimes 
a  house  in  ten  miles,  and  sometimes  not  that."  On  Friday  night 
he  lodged  at  a  Mr.  Shankland's,  eighty  miles  from  Opecquon,  and 
twenty  from  Augusta  court-house.  On  Saturday  he  stopped  at  a 
Mr.  Poage's — "  stayed  for  dinner,  the  first  I  had  eaten  since  I  left 
Pennsylvania." 

From  Staunton  he  went  with  Hugh  Celsey  to  Samuel  Downey's, 
at  the  North  Mountain,  where  he  preached  on  the  fourth  Sabbath 
of  June,  according  to  appointment,  and  being  detained  by  his  horse, 
preached  there  the  fifth  Sabbath  also.  The  same  cause  detaining 
him  another  week,  he  consented  to  preach  in  the  new  court-house 
on  the  first  Sabbath  of  July.  "  Rode  to  widow  Preston's  Satur- 
day evening,  where  I  was  very  kindly  entertained,  and  had  a  com- 
modious lodging."  This  is  probably  the  widow  of  John  Preston, 
whose  family  have  since  been  so  famous  in  Virginia.  The  North 
Mountain  congregation  has  long  since  given  place  to  Bethel  and 
Hebron.  On  Monday  he  rode  out  to  John  Trimble's,  more  en- 
couraged by  the  appearances  at  North  Mountain  than  in  Staunton. 
On  Tuesday  he  passed  on  to  the  Rev.  John  Brown's,  who  was 
the  first  settled  minister  of  Providence  and  Timber  Ridge. 
"  Here  I  was  vehemently  desired  by  Mr.  Brown  to  preach  in  one 
of  his  places,  having  set  apart  a  day  of  fasting  and  prayer,  on  the 
account  of  the  wars  and  many  murders  committed  by  the  savage 
Indians  on  the  back  inhabitants.  To  this  I  agreed,  having  ap- 
pointed the  Forks  of  James  River  for  the  next  Lord's  day,  where 
I  could  easily  reach  on  Saturday.  So  I  tarried,  and  preached  at 
Timber  Ridge  on  Friday,  which  was  the  day  appointed,  to  a  pretty 
large  congregation  ;  felt  some  life  and  earnestness  in  alarming  the 
people  of  their  dangers  on  account  of  sin,  the  procuring  cause  of 
all  evils  that  befal  us  in  this  life,  or  that  which  is  to  come  ;  en- 


HUGH    M  ADEN.  163 

couraging  them  to  turn  to  the  Lord  with  all  their  hearts,  to  wait 
upon  him  for  deliverance  from  all  their  enemies,  the  only  sure 
refuge  in  every  time  of  difficulty  ;  and  exciting  them  to  put  them- 
selves in  the  best  posture  of  defence  they  could,  and  endeavor,  by 
all  possible  means  in  their  power,  to  defend  themselves  from  such 
barbarous  and  inhuman  enemies.  Great  attention  and  solemnity 
appeared  throughout  the  whole  assembly  ;  nay,  so  engaged  were 
they  that,  though  there  came  up  a  pretty  smart  gust,  they  seemed 
to  mind  it  no  more  than  if  the  sun  had  been  shining  on  them. 
But  in  a  little  time  the  Lord  turned  it.  so  about  that  we  were  little 
more  disturbed  than  if  we  had  been  in  a  house. 

"  Came  to  Mr.  Boycr's,  where  I  tarried  till  Sabbath  morning,  a 
very  kind  and  discreet  gentleman,  who  used  me  exceedingly 
kindly,  and  accompanied  me  to  the  Forks,  twelve  miles,  where  I 
preached  the  second  Sabbath  of  July,  to  a  considerable  large  con- 
gregation, who  seemed  pretty  much  engaged,  and  very  earnest 
that  I  should  stay  longer  with  them  ;  which  I  could  by  no  means 
consent  to,  being  determined  to  get  along  in  [my]  journey  as  fast 
as  possible  ;  and  proposed  to  preach  at  Round  Oak  next  Sabbath. 
Rode  home,  with  Joseph  Lapsley,  two  miles,  from  meeting,  where 
I  tarried  till  Wednesday  morning. 

"  Here  it  was  I  received  the  most  melancholy  news  of  the 
entire  defeat  of  our  army  by  the  French  at  Ohio,  the  General 
killed,  numbers  of  the  inferior  officers,  and  the  whole  artillery 
taken.  This,  together  with  the  frequent  account  of  fresh  murders 
being  daily  committed  upon  the  frontiers,  struck  terror  to  every 
heart.  A  cold  shuddering  possessed  every  breast,  and  paleness 
covered  almost  every  face.  In  short,  the  whole  inhabitants  were 
put  into  an  universal  confusion.  Scarcely  any  man  durst  sleep  in 
his  own  house — but  all  met  in  companies  with  their  wives  and 
children,  and  set  about  building  little  fortifications,  to  defend  them- 
selves from  such  barbarians  and  inhuman  enemies,  whom  they 
concluded  would  be  let  loose  upon  them  at  pleasure.  I  was  so 
shocked  upon  my  first  reading  Col.  Innes's  letter,  that  I  knew  not 
well  what  to  do." 

This  was  the  defeat  of  Gen.  Braddock.  The  consternation  that 
followed  through  all  the  frontiers  of  Virginia,  which  were  then  all 
in  the  valley,  is  well  described  in  the  few  lines  given  above.  The 
difficulties  and  dangers  increased  till  many  of  the  inhabitants  of 
Augusta  fled  to  the  more  quiet  frontiers  of  North  Carolina,  as  will 
be  seen  in  the  progress  of  this  journal.  Among  others  who  fled, 
and  in  a  few  years  took  his  residence  on  Sugar  Creek,  was  the 


164  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Rev.  Mr.  Craighead,  who  had  been  some  years  in  Virginia,  re- 
siding on  the  cow  pasture.  His  congregation  was  not  in  the  track 
of  Mr.  McAden's  journey,  which  left  Mr.  Craighead's  residence  to 
the  right,  and  Mr.  Craig's  to  the  left. 

After  much  consideration  whether  he  should  remain  where  he 
was,  or  return  to  Pennsylvania,  or  go  on  to  his  destined  field  of 
labor  in  Carolina,  he  determined,  in  the  fear  of  God,  to  go  on.  "  I 
resolved  to  prosecute  my  journey,  come  what  will,  with  some 
degree  of  dependence  on  the  Lord  for  his  divine  protection  and 
support,  that  I  might  be  enabled  to  glorify  him  in  all  things, 
whether  in  life  or  in  death,  though  not  so  sensible  as  I  could  wish 
for  and  earnestly  desired." 

On  Wednesday,  the  16th  of  July,  he  left  Mr.  Lapsley's,  in 
company  with  a  young  man  from  Mr.  Henry's  congregation,  in 
Charlotte,  who  had  been  at  the  Warm  Springs,  and  was  fleeing 
from  the  expected  inroads  of  the  savages.  Giving  up  the  appoint- 
ment at  Round  Oak,  he  took  the  route  by  Luny's  Ferry,  which 
was  distant  about  twenty-six  miles — "  because  it  was  now  too 
late  to  cross  the  mountain,  nor  did  I  think  it  quite  safe  to  venture 
it  alone :  but  here  I  thought  we  might  lodge  with  some  degree  of 
safety,  as  there  were  a  number  of  men  and  arms  engaged  in 
building  a  fort,  round  the  house,  where  they  were  fled  with  their 
wives  and  children." 

The  next  day  Major  Smith  sent  a  guard  with  them  across  the 
•mountains  ;  and  after  riding  thirty-two  miles  they  reached  Mr. 
I.  Sable's,  about  three  miles  from  Bedford  court-house.  Here 
he  was  out  of  danger  from  the  Indians,  but  found  the  same  op- 
pressive drought  he  left  in  Pennsylvania.  The  next  day  he  reach- 
ed "  Mr.  Thomas  Dickson's,  at  Falling  River,  twenty-three  miles, 
a  place  where  Mr.  Henry  preached  once  a  month.  The  people 
insisted  very  much  upon  my  staying  here  till  Sabbath  day  :  as  it 
was  now  Friday  evening,  it  was  impossible  to  get  over  to  Dan  River 
(which  was  the  first  vacancy  I  could  preach  at)  in  time  to  warn  a 
congregation  before  Sabbath  day,  therefore  I  tarried  and  preached 
at  Falling  River." 

On  Monday,  the  21st,  he  rode  thirty  miles  to  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Henry's — "  where  I  was  much  refreshed  by  a  relation  of  Mr. 
Henry's  success  among  his  people,  who  told  me  of  several  hope- 
fully brought  in  by  his  ministry,  and  frequent  appearance  of  new 
awakenings  amongst  them,  scarcely  a  Sabbath  passing  without 
some  life  and  appearance  of  the  power  of  God.     So  likewise  in 


hugh  m'aden.  165 

Mr.  Wright's  congregation,  I  hear,  there  is  a  considerable  appear- 
ance of  the  power  of  God." 

On  Wednesday,  23d  of  July,  he  left  Mr.  Henry's,  rode  ten 
miles,  and  preached  at  a  Mr.  Cardwall's,  in  Halifax  county,  and 
passed  on  that  night  to  Ephraim  Hill's,  five  miles.  The  country 
was  then  thinly  settled,  and  the  people  appeared  to  Mr.  McAden 
as  sheep  without  a  shepherd.  On  the  next  day  rode  twenty  miles 
to  Capt.  Moore's,  on  Dan  River,  where  he  remained  and  preached 
the  Sabbath,  July  27th.  On  Tuesday  he  left  Capt.  Moore's,  pro- 
ceeded five  miles  up  the  Dan,  crossed  over,  and  preached  at  Mr. 
Brandon's ;  and  on  the  same  evening,  riding  twelve  miles,  came 
to  Solomon  Debow's  on  Hico,  an  emigrant  from  Bucks  county, 
Pennsylvania.  Here  he  remained,  and  preached  the  first  Sabbath 
of  August.  "  Having  now  got  within  the  limits  prescribed  me  by 
the  Presbytery,  I  was  resolved  not  to  be  so  anxious  about  getting 
along  in  my  journey,  but  take  some  more  time  to  labor  among  the 
people,  if  so  be  the  Lord  might  bless  it  to  the  advantage  of  any. 
May  the  Lord,  of  his  infinite  mercy,  grant  his  blessing  upon  my 
poor  attempts,  and  make  me  in  some  way  instrumental  in  turning 
some  of  these  precious  souls  from  darkness  unto  light,  and  from 
the  power  of  Satan  unto  God,  that  the  power  may  be  known  to  be 
of  God,  and  all  the  glory  redound  to  His  own  name." 

Mr.  McAden  was  now  out  of  the  sphere  of  alarm  occasioned  by 
Braddock's  defeat ;  and  he  was  also  now  beyond  the  southern 
bounds  of  any  settled  minister  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination 
in  connection  with  the  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 
There  were  some  Presbyterian  churches  built  in  North  Carolina, 
and  many  worshipping  assemblies,  but  few,  if  any,  organized 
churches  at  this  time,  and  no  settled  minister.  Mr.  McAden  was 
of  the  New  Side,  as  they  were  termed.  This  is  discoverable  from 
a  very  few  sentences  in  his  journal  which  occasionally  appear,  when 
he  meets  with  some  opposing  circumstance  from  the  other  side ; 
for  through  Virginia  and  in  the  settlements  in  Carolina  the  differ- 
ence of  opinion  had  spread,  and  the  fierceness  of  the  dispute  had 
yet  scarcely  passed  away. 

We  shall  follow  him  with  interest  from  this  first  Sabbath  in  Caroli- 
na, August  3, 1755,  at  Solomon  Debow's,  on  Hico,  through  the  settled 
part  of  the  State.  Some  of  his  preaching-places  can  be  identified, 
and  others  with  difficulty  conjectured ;  as  they  were  at  private 
houses  generally,  or  in  the  open  air.  As  might  be  expected,  some 
became  permanent  preaching-places,  and  others  gave  way  to  more 
convenient  locations. 


166  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

On  Tuesday,  5th,  he  preached  at  Mr.  Debow's  ;  on  Wednesday, . 
rode  ten  miles  to  the  chapel  on  South  Hico,  where — "  I  preached 
to  a  number  of  church  people  and  some  Presbyterians.  After  ser- 
mon they  seemed  exceedingly  pleased,  and  returned  abundance  of 
thanks  for  my  sermon,  and  earnestly  entreated  me  by  all  means 
to  call  upon  them  as  I  came  back,  and  showed  a  very  great  desire 
that  all  our  ministers  should  call  upon  them  as  they  travel  back 
and  forward."  He  went  home  with  Mr.  Vanhook,  five  miles,  and 
preached  at  his  house  on  Thursday ;  and  on  Friday  was  conducted 
by  Mr.  Vanhook  "  to  Eino"  (Eno),  about  twenty  miles,  to  a  Mr. 
Anderson's.  The  second  Sabbath  of  August,  the  10th  day,  he 
preached  at  Eno — "  to  a  set  of  pretty  regular  Presbyterians,"  who 
appeared  to  him  to  be  in  a  cold  state  of  religious  feeling.  "  In  the 
evening  returned  to  Mr.  Anderson's  ;  here  I  tarried  till  Tuesday, 
the  12th  of  August ;  preached  again  to  the  same  company."  From 
these  expressions  it  would  seem  there  was  a  house  for  public  wor- 
ship on  the  Eno. 

"  'Being  sent  for,  and  very  earnestly  entreated  to  go  to  Tar  River, 
I  took  my  journey  the  same  evening,  with  my  guide,  and  rode  to 
Bogan's,  on  Flat  River,  twenty  miles.  Next  morning,  set  off 
again,  and  rode  to  old  Sherman's,  on  Tar  River,  and  preached  that 
afternoon  to  a  small  company,  who  seemed  generally  attentive,  and 
some  affected."  Next  day  he  went  to  Grassy  Creek,  sixteen  miles, 
where  was  a  Baptist  meeting-house,  and  preached  to  a  people 
"  who  seemed  very  inquisitive  about  the  way  to  Zion."  The  next 
day  he  accompanied  his  host,  old  Mr.  Lawrence,  to  Fishing  Creek, 
to  the  Baptist  Yearly  Meeting ;  and  on  Saturday  and  Sabbath 
preached  to  large  and  deeply  interested  audiences.  "  Here  I  think 
the  power  of  God  appeared  something  conspicuous,  and  the  word 
seemed  to  fall  with  power."  Being  earnestly  pressed,  he  preached 
again  on  Sabbath  afternoon,  with  some  hope  of  success.  On  Mon- 
day he  preached  again  with  greater  appearance  of  usefulness.  The 
inhabitants,  he  was  informed,  were  principally  from  Virginia,  and 
some  from  Pennsylvania  and  Jersey.  "  I  was  obliged  to  leave 
them  after  I  had  preached  to  and  exhorted  them  with  many  words, 
that  they  should  carefully  guard  against  taking  shelter  under  the 
shadow  of  their  own  righteousness,  committing  them  to  God,  who, 
I  know,  is  able  to  make  them  wise  unto  salvation."  On  Monday, 
P.  M.,  the  18th,  he  rode  to  Granville  court-house,  twenty-five 
miles.  On  Tuesday  he  rode  to  Mr.  Sherman's,  on  Tar  River,  at 
about  11  o'clock,  twenty  miles  ;  and  preached  in  the  afternoon  "  to 
a  middling  congregation,  who  appeared  very  devout,  and  some  of 


hugh  m'aden.  167 

them  much  affected."  On  Wednesday,  returned  to  Mr.  Anderson's, 
on  Eno.  On  Friday  evening  he  rode  "to  the  Hawfields,  where  I 
preached  the  fourth  Sabbath  in  August,  to  a  considerable  large 
congregation,  chiefly  Presbyterians,  who  seemed  highly  pleased, 
and  very  desirous  to  hear  the  word.  Preached  again  on  Tuesday  ; 
the  people  came  out  to  hear  quite  beyond  expectation.  Wednes- 
day, set  out  upon  my  journey,  and  came  to  the  Buffalo  Settlement, 
about  thirty-five  miles ;  lodged  at  William  Mebane's  till  Sabbath  day ; 
then  rode  to  Adam  Michel's,  where  I  preached ;  the  people  seemed 
solemn  and  very  attentive,  but  no  appearance  of  the  life  of  reli- 
gion. Returned  in  the  evening,  about  a  mile,  to  Robert  Rankin's, 
where  I  was  kindly  received  and  well  entertained  till  Tuesday  ; 
then  returned  to  the  former  place,  and  preached  ;  no  stir  appeared, 
but  some  tears."  On  Wednesday,  September  3d,  he  set  out  for  the 
Yadkin,  having  Robert  Rankin  as  his  guide,  and  having  ridden  forty- 
five  miles,  lodged  at  John  Vannoy's.  "  Next  morning,  came  to  Henry 
Sloan's,  at  the  Yadkin  Ford,  where  I  was  kindly  entertained  till 
Sabbath  day ;  rode  to  the  meeting-house  and  preached  to  a  small 
congregation."  Here  there  appears  to  have  been  a  congregation 
of  some  strength  that  had  a  meeting-house,  but  had  become  di- 
vided,— "  Many  adhere  to  the  Baptists  that  were  before  wavering, 
and  several  that  professed  themselves  to  be  Presbyterians  ;  so  that 
very  few  at  present  join  heartily  for  our  .ministers,  and  will  in  a 
little  time,  if  God  prevent  not,  be  too  weak  either  to  call  or  sup- 
plicate for  a  faithful  minister.  O  may  the  good  Lord,  who  can 
bring  order  out  of  confusion,  and  call  things  that  are  not  as  though 
they  were,  visit  this  people  !"  One  cause  of  the  divisions  in  this 
congregation  arose  from  the  labors  of  a  Baptist  minister  among 
them  by  the  name  of  Miller. 

After  preaching,  he  visited  some  sick  people,  and  went  home 
with  James  Smith,  about  four  miles.  On  Tuesday,  he  preached 
again  at  the  meeting-house,  and  went  home  with  Cornelius  Ander- 
son, about  six  miles — "  a  judicious,  honest  man,  I  hope,  who 
seems  to  be  much  concerned  for  the  state  of  the  church  and  perish- 
ing souls."  On  Wednesday,  10th,  he  visited  Captain  Hunt,  who 
was  sick  with  an  intermitting  fever,  and  found  his  visit  welcome  ; 
and  returned  to  Mr.  Sloan's.  On  Friday,  12th,  he  crossed  the 
Yadkin,  and  rode  about  ten  miles  to  James  Alison's. .  On  Satur- 
day, he  went  three  or  four  miles  to  Mr.  Brandon's — "  one  of  my 
own  countrymen."  On  Sabbath,  14th,  he  preached  at  "the  meet- 
ing-house to  a  considerable  congregation  of  professing  people  ;" 
and  on  Monday,  rode  to  John  Luckcy's,  about  five  or  six  miles. 


168  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  Preached  again  on  Wednesday,  being  appointed  as  a  day  of 
fasting  and  prayer,  to  entreat  the  Lord  for  deliverance  from  these 
sad  calamities,  with  which  the  land  seems  in  general  to  be  threatened, 
being  in  very  great  danger  both  of  sword  and  famine."  In  the 
evening,  he  paid  a  faithful  visit  to  a  man,  about  to  die,  from  a  fall 
from  his  horse,  in  a  very  unprepared  state  of  mind.  "  Went  home 
with  John  Andrew,  a  serious,  good  man,  I  hope,  with  whom  my 
soul  was  much  refreshed,  by  his  warm  conversation  about  the 
things  of  God.  How  sweet  to  meet  one  in  the  wilderness  who 
can  speak  the  language  of  Canaan  !  The  next  day,  he  rode  to 
Justice  Carruth's,  about  eight  miles,  and  remained  till  Sabbath, 
21st,  and  then  preached  at  the  meeting-house  about  two  miles  off, 
"  to  a  pretty  large  congregation  of  people,  who  seemed  generally 
pretty  regular  and  discreet."  The  next  day,  he  set  out  for  Mr. 
David  Templeton's,  about  five  miles  from  Mr.  Carruth's ;  on  his  way 
— "  came  up  with  a  large  company  of  men,  women  and  children, 
who  had  fled  for  their  lives  from  the  Cow  or  Calf  pasture  in  Virgi- 
nia ;  from  whom  I  received  the  melancholy  account,  that  the 
Indians  were  still  doing  a  great  deal  of  mischief  in  those  parts,  by 
murdering  and  destroying  several  of  the  inhabitants,  and  banishing 
the  rest  from  their  houses  and  livings,  whereby  the)''  are  forced  to 
fly  into  desert  places."  Rode  on  that  evening  to  William  Denny's, 
four  miles  further  ;  who  presented  him  with  what  he  considered  a 
great  present,  "  a  pair  of  shoes,  made  of  his  own  leather,  which 
was  no  small  favor."  On  Tuesday,  he  returned  to  David  Temple- 
ton's,  and  on  Wednesday,  a  day  appointed  for  fasting  and  prayer, 
rode  to  "the  meeting-house  and  preached."  After  sermon,  he 
went  home  with  Captain  Osborne,  about  six  miles  ;  here,  he 
remained  till  Sabbath,  the  28th,  when  he  preached  "  at  the  new 
meeting-house,  about  three  miles  off ;" — and  "  again  on  Wednes- 
day, being  appointed  for  fasting  and  humiliation."  In  the  evening, 
he  rode  home  with  William  Reese,  about  seven  miles,  and 
remained  till  Sabbath,  the  5th  of  October,  when  he  preached  at 
Captain  Lewis's,  about  three  miles  distant — "to  as  large  a  con- 
gregation as  any  I  have  had  since  I  came  to  these  parts."  The 
whole  of  the  succeeding  week  he  lodged  at  Captain  Lewis's.  On 
Wednesday,  he  preached  again,  it  being  the  day  appointed  by  the 
governor  and  council,  for  humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer,  on 
account  of  the  distress  upon  the  land. 

On  the  Sabbath,  the  12th  of  October,  he  rode  seven  miles 
to  Justice  Alexander's,  "  when  I  preached  in  the  afternoon,  a  consi- 
derable solemnity  appeared."     Though  it  was  now  near  the  middle 


hugh  m'aden.  169 

of  October,  the  drought  was  still  so  great  that  he  says — "  I  have 
not  seen  so  much  as  one  patch  of  wheat  or  rye  in  the  ground." 
On  Wednesday,  he  went  over  to  Major  Harris's,  about  three  miles, 
and  preached  ;  on  Friday,  he  preached  at  David  Caldwell's,  about 
five  or  six  miles,  to  a  small  congregation,  and  went  on  to  William 
Alexander's,  and  tarried  till  Sabbath,  the  19th,  and  then  rode  about 
twelve  miles  to  James  Alexander's,  on  Sugar  Creek,  and  preached 
— "  where  there  are  some  pretty  serious,  judicious  people — may 
the  Lord  grant  his  blessing  !"  That  evening,  he  rode  home  with 
Henry  Knealy  (or  Neely,  as  he  spells  the  name  both  ways),  six 
miles  ;  and  on  Monday,  the  20th,  took  his  journey  for  Broad 
River — "  sixty  miles  to  the  southward,  in  company  with  two 
young  men,  who  came  thus  far  to  conduct  me  thither — a  place 
where  never  any  of  our  missionaries  have  been.'''' 

On  this  journey,  he  passed  through  the  lands  of  the  Catawba 
Indians.  On  the  first  night,  they  prepared  to  encamp  in  the 
woods,  about  three  miles  south  of  the  Catawba — "  there  being  no 
white  man's  house  on  all  the  road."  This  was  his  first  night 
"  out  of  doors."  On  the  next  day,  they  passed  one  of  their  hunt- 
ing camps  unmolested ;  but  when  they  stopped  to  get  their 
breakfast,  they  were  surrounded  by  a  large  number  of  Indians, 
shouting  and  hallooing,  and  frightening  their  horses  and  rifling  their 
baggage.  Accordingly,  they  moved  off  as  fast  as  possible,  without 
staying  to  parley ;  and  to  their  great  annoyance,  in  a  little  time 
they  passed  a  second  camp  of  hunters,  who  prepared  to  give  them 
a  similar  reception,  calling  them  to  stop,  from  each  side  the  path. 
Passing  on  rapidly,  they  escaped  without  harm  ;  and  after  a  ride 
of  twenty-five  miles,  were  permitted  to  get  their  breakfasts  in 
peace. 

[Here  some  leaves  of  the  journal  are  missing.] 

On  Sabbath,  the  2d  of  November,  he  preached  "to  a  number 
of  those  poor  baptized  infidels,  many  of  whom  I  was  told  had 
never  heard  a  sermon  in  all  their  lives  before,  and  yet  several 
of  them  had  families."  This  seems  hardly  credible.  But  he  re- 
lates an  anecdote  told  him  here  of  an  old  gentleman,  who  said  to 
the  governor  of  South  Carolina,  when  he  was  in  those  parts,  in 
treaty  with  the  Cherokee  Indians,  that  he  "  had  never  seen  a 
shirt,  been  in  a  fair,  heard  a  sermon  or  seen  a  minister,  in  all 
his  life."  Upon  which  the  governor  promised  to  send  him  up  a 
minister,  that  he  might  hear  one  sermon  before  he  died.  The 
minister  came  and  preached  ;  and  this  was  all  the  preaching  that 


170  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA. 

had  been  heard  in  the  upper  part  of  South  Carolina  before  Mr. 
McAden's  visit. 

How  far  he  penetrated  the  State  is  not  known,  on  account  of 
the  loss  of  a  few  leaves  of  the  journal.  "  On  Monday,  the  10th 
of  November,  returned  about  twenty  miles,  to  James  Atterson's, 
on  Tyger  river  ;  preached  on  Tuesday,  which  was  the  first  they 
had  ever  heard  in  these  parts,  but  I  hope  it  will  not  be  the  last, 
for  there  are  men  in  all  these  places  (blessed  be  God),  some  at 
least,  that  have  a  great  desire  of  hearing  the  gospel  preached. 
Next  day  rode  to  James  Love's,  on  Broad  River  :  Thursday, 
preached."  On  Broad  River  his  congregation  was  effected  under 
his  preaching.  It  is  not  unlikely  that  some  latitude  of  expression 
was  used  by  those  who  gave  him  the  statements  he  records.  It 
is  very  likely  that  he  was  the  first  minister  the  people  heard  in 
those  neighborhoods  ;  but  those  who  had  never  heard  a  sermon 
were  comparatively  few,  as  the  mass  of  the  early  settlers  were  of 
a  parentage  that  taught  their  children  the  way  to  church.  There 
were,  however,  some  settlers  from  the  older  parts  of  the  State  that 
had  not  been  much  accustomed  to  any  religious  forms. 

"Friday,  the  14th,  took  my  leave  of  these  parts,  and  set  out 
for  the  Waxhaws,  forty-five  miles,  good ;  that  night  reached 
Thomas  Farrel's,  where  I  lodged  till  Sabbath  day  ;  then  rode  to 
James  Patton's,  about  two  miles,  and  preached  to  a  pretty  large 
congregation  of  Presbyterian  people.  Wednesday,  preached 
again  in  the  same  place,  and  crossed  the  Catawba  river  and  came 
to  Henry  White's."  Here  he  remained  till  Sabbath ;  part  of  the 
time  sick  of  the  flux,  but  was  able  to  preach  on  Sabbath,  the 
23d,  at  "  the  meeting-house  "  five  miles  off;  and  went  home  with 
Justice  Dickens.  On  the  Monday  following  he  set  out  for  the 
Yadkin,  retracing  his  steps  ;  lodging  that  night  at  Henry  Neely's, 
where  his  disorder  returned  upon  him,  and  kept  him  till  Sabbath, 
when  he  rode  six  miles,  to  James  Alexander's,  and  preached. 
From  thence  he  proceeded  to  Justice  Alexander's,  on  Rocky 
River,  twelve  miles  ;  thence  on  to  Captain  Lewis's,  in  the  Welch 
settlement,  and  there  tarried  some  days  as  before,  and  preached 
the  first  Sabbath  of  December  (the  7th) ;  thence  to  William 
Reece's  ;  and  on  the  next  Sabbath  (the  14th)  he  preached  in  the 
"  new  meeting-house,"  near  Mr.  Osborne's  ;  the  next,  at  Coddle 
Creek ;  and  passing  on  he  called  on  David  Templeton,  William 
Denny,  Justice  Carruth,  and  John  Andrew,  and  preached  on 
Sabbath,  the  28th,  at  Cathey's  meeting-house,  now  called  Thya- 
tira,  to   a  large   audience.      Here  he  was  urged  to  remain  and 


HUGH    M  ADEN.  171 

divide  his  time  with  that  congregation  and  Rocky  River.  The 
congregation,  however,  was  divided  in  their  preference,  some  for 
the  old  side,  and  some  for  the  new ;  and  the  movements  to  settle 
a  minister  unfortunately  became  a  party  question.  Being  ur- 
gently solicited,  he  preached  the  next  Sabbath  at  the  same  church, 
and  his  friends  made  out  their  subscription.  On  the  whole,  he 
thought  it  unadvisable  to  prosecute  the  matter.  After  visiting 
Second  Creek,  and  preaching  at  Captain  Hampton's,  he  passed  on 
to  the  Yadkin,  and  having  crossed  it  with  difficulty,  he  lodged 
with  his  former  host,  Mr.  Sloan,  and  preached  in  "  the  meeting- 
house "  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  January,  the  11th  day,  in  com- 
pany with  Mr.  Miller,  the  Baptist  minister,  from  Jersey,  of  whom 
as  a  Christian  man  he  speaks  favorably. 

On  Tuesday,  January  13th,  1756,  he  set  out  on  a  journey  down 
the  Cape  Fear  river,  to  Wilmington,  in  company  with  a  Mr.  Van 
Clave,  and  reached  Huary,  thirty  miles,  and  preached  the  next 
day,  Wednesday.  The  next  day  he  reached  Smith's,  at  the  Sand 
Hills,  and  remained  till  Sabbath  ;  in  public  worship  he  could  find 
no  one  to  join  in  singing  a  part  of  a  psalm.  On  Monday,  the  19th, 
set  off  in  company  with  Mr.  Smith,  who  was  going  to  court,  and 
rode  fifty  miles  to  McKay's.  Next  day  rode  thirty  miles  to  Anson 
court-house.  Here  he  met  with  an  old  acquaintance,  James 
Stewart,  and  went  home  with  him  and  remained  till  Saturday,  and 
preached  at  the  court-house,  and  rode  to  the  New  Store.  On 
Sabbath,  the  25th,  he  rode  to  Hector  McNeill's,  "  and  preached  to 
a  number  of  Highlanders, — some  of  them  scarcely  knew  one 
word  that  I  said, — the  poorest  singers  I  ever  heard  in  all  my  life. 
Next  day  rode  to  David  Smith's,  on  the  other  side  of  Little  River, 
fourteen  miles  ;  on  Tuesday,  preached  to  a  considerable  number 
of  people  who  came  to  hear  me  at  Smith's.  Wednesday,  rode  up 
to  Alexander  McKay's,  upon  the  Yadkin  road,  thirty  miles ; 
Thursday,  preached  to  a  small  congregation,  mostly  of  Highland- 
ers, who  were  very  much  obliged  to  me  for  coming,  and  highly 
pleased  with  my  discourse.  Though,  alas,  I  am  afraid  it  was  all 
but  feigned  and  hypocritical."  His  reason  for  this  fear  was,  some 
stayed  around  the  house  all  night  and  indulged  in  drinking  and 
profane  language,  in  spite  of  his  remonstrances,  and  almost  entirely 
prevented  his  rest. 

On  Friday  he  "  set  off  down  the  river,  thirty  miles,  to  Neill 
Beard's;"  then  he  preached  on  Sabbath,  1st  of  February,  to  a 
"  mixed  multitude,  some  Presbyterians,  some  church  people,  some 
Baptists,  and  don't  know  but  some  Quakers."     However,  they  ex- 


172  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

pressed  themselves  highly  pleased  with  his  visit.  On  Monday, 
the  2d,  he  rode  to  a  Mr.  James  Semes's,  about  five  miles,  a  sick 
family  whom  he  visited,  and  preached  in  their  house  to  the  neigh- 
bors assembled  ;  and  in  the  evening  rode  on  to  Mr.  Robinson's,  "  a 
very  affable  gentleman,"  with  whom  he  tarried  till  Wednesday, 
and  then  accompanied  to  the  court-house  in  Bladen  county, 
where  he  preached  to  a  considerable  congregation  ;  and  "  in  the 
evening  went  home  with  old  Justice  Randle,  about  two  miles." 
On  Thursday  he  preached  at  George  Brown's,  three  miles  off,  and 
went  on  three  miles  further  to  Neal  Shaw's,  and  the  next  day  to 
Duncan  McCoulsky's  ;  and  on  Sabbath,  the  8th,  rode  to  Esquire 
McNeill's,  where  he  preached  to  a  small  congregation,  the  day 
being  wet.  "  After  the  sermon  a  proposal  was  made  to  get  me  to 
come  and  Settle  among  them ;  and  I  think  I  never  saw  people 
more  engaged,  or  subscribe  with  greater  freedom  and  cheerfulness 
in  my  life.  May  the  Lord,  in  much  mercy,  prepare  me  for  some 
usefulness  in  the  world,  and  direct  me  to  what  will  be  most  for 
his  own  glory,  and  the  good  of  precious  souls  !" 

"  On  Monday,  9th,  crossed  tbe  swamp  and  came  to  Baldwin's, 
on  the  Whitemarsh,  about  five  miles,  where  I  tarried  all  night,  and 
preached  the  next  day  to  a  very  few  irregular  sort  of  people,  who,  I 
believe,  know  but  little  about  the  principles  of  any  religion."  In  the 
evening  he  rode  home  with  Mr.  Kerr,  four  miles.  On  Wednes- 
day he  set  out  for  Wilmington,  and  rode  thirty  miles  to  young  Mr. 
Granger's,  "  a  very  discreet  gentleman,  who  entertained  me  with  a 
great  deal  of  courtesy  ;"  on  Thursday  he  rode  fifteen  miles  to  Pre- 
sident Roan's  ;  and  on  the  next  day  fifteen  miles  further  to  the 
ferry,  and  then  crossed  by  water,  four  miles,  to  Wilmington. 

Here  he  preached,  Sabbath,  the  15th,  "  in  the  A.M.,  to  a  large  and 
splendid  audience,  but  was  surprised  when  I  came  again  in  the 
P.M.,  to  see  about  a  dozen  met  to  hear  me."  This  small  number 
greatly  depressed  his  spirits,  and  probably  hastened  his  departure 
from  the  place  on  the  Tuesday  following.  On  that  day  he  rode 
twenty-five  miles,  to  Cowen's,  up  the  Northeast  Cape  Fear,  and  on 
the  next  day  to  old  Mr.  Evans's,  in  the  Welch  Tract. 

There  he  preached  on  Sabbath,  22d,  designing  to  move  on 
homeward,  "  but  I  was  detained  by  the  affection  and  entreaties  of 
this  people,  who  earnestly  pressed  upon  me  to  tarry  with  them 
another  Sabbath  ;  their  design  herein  was  that  they  might  have 
time  to  get  a  subscription  drawn  up,  that  they  might  put  in  a  call 
for  me."     On  Sabbath,  the  29th,  he  preached  again  to  the  same 


HUGH    M  ADEN.  173 

people,  who  expressed  great  desire  for  his  return,  and  made  out  a 
call  for  him  as  their  pastor. 

On  Tuesday,  March  2d,  he  rode  to  Mr.  Bowen's,  about  ten 
miles,  on  Black  River  ;  and  on  the  next  day  six  miles  further,  and 
preached,  then  crossed  the  river  and  rode  about  five  miles  to  South 
River,  where  he  lodged  with  Mr.  Anderson.  On  Thursday  crossed 
Collie's  Swamp,  then  in  a  bad  condition — "  lodged  at  old  Mr.  Grife 
Jones's  ;"  on  the  next  day  crossed  the  Northwest,  and  lodged  at 
George  Brown's,  where  he  preached  on  Sabbath,  March  7th. 
While  in  this  neighborhood,  he  was  grieved  to  find  some,  who  had 
been  brought  up  under  the  influence  of  the  gospel  in  other  parts, 
become  dissolute  and  indulging  infidel  notions,  since  their  abode 
in  this  region  where  the  gospel  was  not  regularly  preached,  and  in 
fact  scarcely  heard. 

On  Monday,  the  8th,  crossed  the  Northwest,  and  being  de- 
tained by  the  rain,  and  some  other  business,  he  rode  but  about  ten 
miles,  to  Mr.  Isaac  Jones's,  "  a  good  honest  Quaker,  and  an 
assemblyman."  The  next  day,  crossed  Collie's  Swamp  ao-ain 
which  was  now  overflowed,  and  caused  much  trouble  by  swim- 
ming the  horses — "  and  got  to  Mr.  Anderson's  again  about  12 
o'clock  ;"  that  same  day,  he  rode  on  to  Mr.  Lewis's,  on  Black 
River,  about  twenty-five  miles.  On  Wednesday,  he  went  fifteen 
miles,  to  John  James's,  and  preached.  By  the  high  waters  he  was 
detained  in  the  Welch  Tract  till  after  the  second  Sabbath  of  March. 
On  Thursday,  18th,  he  rode  to  Jeremiah  Holden's,  about  twenty 
miles  ;  and  on  the  next  morning,  about  three  miles,  to  Mr.  Dick- 
son's, the  clerk  of  Duplin  county,  where  he  preached  on  Sab- 
bath, the  21st,  to  a  considerable  congregation,  most  of  whom  were 
Irish. 

"  The  people  here  being  very  desirous  to  join  with  the  Welch 
Tract,  in  putting  in  a  call  for  me,  and  many  of  their  best  friends 
being  abroad  upon  business,  they  insisted  so  strongly  upon  me,  that 
I  was  forced  to  consent  to  stay  with  them  another  day.  Tuesday 
rode  up  to  Goshen  in  company  with  Mr.  Dickson,  and  several 
more.  Came  to  Mr.  Gaven's,  twelve  miles,  where  we  tarried  all 
night ;  next  day  preached,  and  returned  to  Mr.  Dickson's."  On 
Sabbath,  28th,  he  preached  at  John  Miller's,  about  two  miles 
distant.  The  people  seemed  all  very  hearty  in  givino-  him  a  call 
and  making  a  proper  support  for  him. 

On  Monday,  the  29th,  he  set  out  from  Mr.  Dickson's  home- 
ward ;  tarried  that  night  at  Mr.  Gaven's,  twelve  miles  ;  next  day 
crossed  Neuse,  and  tarried  with  Joshua   Herring,  about  thirty 


174  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

miles.  This  man  was  out  early  in  the  morning,  and  assembled 
his  neighbors,  and  detained  him  to  preach  to  them  at  noon.  In 
the  evening,  rode  to  Mr.  Herring's,  senior,  about  twelve  miles. 
"  The  next  morning,  set  out  upon  my  journey  for  Pamlico,  and 
rode  about  ten  miles,  to  Major  McWain's,  where  I  had  opportunity 
of  seeing  and  conversing  with  Governor  Dobbs,  who  is  a  very  so- 
ciable gentleman."  That  night  he  lodged  at  Peter's  Ferry,  on 
Cuttentony,  about  twenty  miles,  it  being  too  late  to  go  farther. 
The  next  day,  he  rode  about  forty  miles,  to  Salter's  Ferry,  on 
Pamlico.  The  next  day,  being  Saturday,  he  came  to  Thomas 
Little's,  where  he  remained  over  Sabbath,  April  4th.  This  man 
had  not  heard  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  twenty-eight  years  he 
had  lived  in  Carolina,  and  took  the  opportunity  of  sending  round 
for  his  neighbors,  and  collected  a  congregation  ;  and  kept  Mr. 
McAden  till  Wednesday,  to  preach  again.  "  I  found  some  few 
amongst  them,  that  I  trust  are  God's  dear  children,  who  seemed 
much  refreshed  by  my  coming." 

On  the  7th  day  of  April,  Wednesday,  after  sermon,  he  rode  to 
Mr.  Barrow's,  about  five  miles  ;  and  the  next  day,  about  five  or 
six  miles,  to  the  Red  Banks,  "  where  I  preached  to  a  pretty  large 
company  of  various  sorts  of  people,  but  fewer  Presbyterians.  In 
the  evening,  rode  up  the  river,  ten  miles,  to  Mr.  Mace's,  who  is  a 
man  of  considerable  note,  and  a  Presbyterian."  Here  he  remained 
till  Sabbath,  the  11th,  and  preached  in  the  neighborhood. 

On  Tuesday,  April  13th,  he  set  out  homeward,  and  rode  twenty 
miles,  to  Mr.  Toole's,  on  Tar  River ;  this  man  he  describes  as 
unhappy  in  his  notions  of  unbelief.  On  Wednesday,  he  rode 
thirty  miles,  to  Edgecomb  court-house  ;  the  next  day  he  reached 
Fishing  Creek,  about  twenty-five  miles ;  and  on  Friday,  he  rode 
about  ten  miles  up  the  creek,  and  was  kindly  received  by  the 
Baptist  friends  he  made  'on  his  journey  through  the  country  the 
last  fall.  On  Sabbath,  18th,  he  preached  at  their  meeting-house. 
Here  many  came  to  converse  with  him  about  their  experience. 
On  the  next  day,  he  went  home  with  Joseph  Linsey,  who  had 
heard  him  preach. 

"  He  insisted  very  hard  upon  me  to  stay  at  Nut  Bush,  and  give 
them  a  sermon,  as  they  were  very  destitute  and  out  of  the  way.  I 
went  home  with  him,  about  twenty-two  miles,  it  being  pretty  much 
in  my  way,  and  preached."  He  found  them  a  cheerful  people, 
without  the  regular  preaching  of  the  gospel,  and  in  a  situation  as 
might  be  expected,  with  abundance  of  wealth,  and  full  leisure  for 
enjoyment. 


iiugh  m'aden.  175 

On  Wednesday  he  reached  Captain  Hampton's,  about  35 
miles  ;  and  on  Thursday  got  to  John  Anderson's, — "  who  seemed 
very  joyful  to  see  me  returned  so  far  back  again  ;  "  tarried  till  Sab- 
bath, and  preached.  On  Tuesday,  27th,  he  preached  at  Hawfields  ; 
on  Wednesday  at  Eno :  on  Thursday  rode  down  to  Aaron  Van- 
hook's  ;  and  next  day  to  John  McFarland's,  on  Hico ;  and  there 
preached,  Sabbath,  the  2d  of  May. 

"  Got  ready  to  take  my  journey  from  Carolina,  Thursday,  the 
6th  of  May,  1756 ;  that  day  rode  in  company  with  Solomon  De- 
bow,  who  came  to  conduct  me  as  far  as  John  Baird's,  on  Dan 
River,  twenty  miles  from  Hico."  From  thence  he  set  off  alone. 
Passing  through  Amelia,  we  find  him,  on  Sabbath,  the  9th  of  May, 
at  the  house  of  Mr.  Messaux,  on  James'  River.  Here  the  journal 
abruptly  closes. 

It  is  interesting  to  follow  the  track  of  this  early  missionary. 
Many  of  the  neighborhoods  he  mentions  have  at  this  day  regular 
preaching ;  in  some  there  are  large  congregations  and  flourishing 
churches ;  and  some  few  have  passed  from  the  list  of  Presbyte- 
rian congregations. 

The  time,  and  distances  from  place  to  place,  have  been  given 
for  the  purpose  of  enabling  those  in  the  region  of  his  route  to  trace 
his  track.  A  comparison  of  the  state  of  things  as  they  appeared 
ninety  years  ago,  with  the  present,  may  lead  to  profitable  reflec- 
tions. These  data  are  left  with  those  who  may  feel  interested  in 
searching  out  the  "beginning  of  things." 

M'ADEN's  LABORS  AS  A  PASTOR  IN  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Mr.  McAden  returned  to  Carolina,  and  became  the  settled  minis- 
ter of  the  congregations  in  Duplin  and  New  Hanover.  He  was 
ordained  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Castle,  in  1757 ;  and  in  1759 
was  dismissed  to  join  Hanover  Presbytery,  which  then  included 
a  greater  part  of  Virginia,  and  extended  indefinitely  south.  He 
presented  his  credentials  at  a  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  on  Rock- 
fish,  July  18th,  1759,  having  previously  sat  as  a  corresponding 
member. 

With  these  people  he  remained  about  ten  years  ;  when,  believ- 
ing that  the  influence  of  the  climate  upon  his  health  was  too  un- 
favorable to  justify  his  remaining  longer  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
State,  he  removed  to  Caswell  county,  and  there  finished  his  days. 
At  a  meeting  of  Hanover  Presbytery,  at  Buffalo,  March  2d,  1768, 
for  the  purpose  of  ordaining  Messrs.  David  Caldwell  and  Joseph 
Alexander,  "  a  call  from  the  churches  of  Hico,  Dan  River,  and 


176  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

County  Line  Creek,"  was  put  in  for  his  pastoral  services.  At  the 
same  meeting  he  presided  at  the  installation  of  the  Rev.  David 
Caldwell  over  the  congregations  of  Buffalo  and  Alamance.  This 
year,  if  not  earlier,  he  became  a  resident  of  Caswell.  An  intima- 
cy had  existed  between  him  and  this  people  for  years,  and  he  had 
laid  their  destitute  condition  before  the  Presbytery  in  1759,  "  giving 
a  moving  representation  of  their  difficulties."  The  names  of  these 
churches  were  changed  ;  and  also  the  place  of  his  labors  in  part. 
At  the  time  of  his  death  he  was  preaching  at  Red  House  (Middle 
Hyco),  Greer's  (Upper  Hyco),  and  to  a  church  in  Pittsylvania, 
"  about  half  a  day's  ride  "  from  his  dwelling,  near  the  Red  House. 

Mr.  McAden  was  united  in  marriage  with  a  Miss  Scott,  of 
Lunenburg  county,  Virginia,  whose  family  name  was  given  to  the 
neighborhood,  formed  by  a  company  of  emigrants  from  the  North 
of  Ireland,  and  called  Scott's  Settlement.  A  number  of  children 
were  born  to  him  in  Duplin,  the  eldest  of  whom  died  in  Caswell, 
in  the  year  1845. 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  dictated  by  Dr.  John  Mc- 
Aden, the  eldest  son  of  the  preacher,  in  his  82d  year,  contains  all 
we  know  of  the  habits  of  this  pioneer  of  Carolina.  The  letter 
bears  date — "Hyco  Hills,  Caswell  county,  Jan.  5th,  1845.  My 
father  was  a  very  systematic  man, — and  he  always  spent  one  or 
two  days  every  week  in  private  study, — and  if  he  walked  into  the 
fields  he  always  carried  his  Bible  with  him.  He  visited  with  his 
elders  once  a  year,  all  the  families  within  the  bounds  of  his  con- 
gregations,— and  he  would  exhort  and  pray  with  them  during  his 
stay.  He  would  collect .  all  of  his  congregations  once  a  year  at 
his  churches,  and  hold  an  examination  of  those  present.  He 
administered  the  sacrament  at  each  of  his  churches  twice  every 
year.  He  spent  his  life  in  attempting  to  convince  all  of  their  sins, 
and  in  rendering  happy  those  who  were  members  of  his  congrega- 
tions,— respected  and  beloved  by  all  who  knew  him.  During  the 
Revolution,  the  Lord  God  Almighty  thought  proper  to  remove  this 
venerable  man,  whose  influence  will  always  be  acknowledged  with 
pleasure  ;  and  he  departed  this  life  January  20th,  1781,  leaving  a 
wife  and  seven  children.  Two  weeks  after  his  death,  the  British 
encamped  in  the  yard  of  the  Red  House  church.  They  remained 
there  some  time,  going  about  over  the  country,  committing  many 
depredations  upon  all  the  neighbors.  And  my  father's  long  minis- 
terial services  did  not  free  him  from  their  ravages,  but  they  came 
to  his  house  and  searched  it  throughout,  destroying  many  things, 
and  also  many  of  his  most  valuable  papers,  on  account  of  which, 


hugii  m'aden.  177 

the  knowledge  of  my  father  is  so  limited,  having  been  absent  a 
greater  part  of  my  life  at  school  in  Guilford,  N.  C,  under  the  late 
Dr.  Caldwell,  and  having  arrived  at  home  a  few  days  before  the 
death  of  my  father.  During  the  encampment  of  the  British  in 
the  yard  of  the  Red  House,  they  committed  many  depredations 
upon  the  church  which  were  not  repaired  for  many  years." 

The  visit  of  the  British  referred  to  in  this  letter,  took  place, 
after  Green  had  crossed  the  Dan,  in  the  memorable  retreat  before 
Cornwallis,  by  which  the  march  of  Morgan  into  Virginia,  with 
the  prisoners  taken  at  the  Cowpens,  was  covered,  and  the  American 
forces  placed  beyond  the  reach  of  the  enemy,  till  reinforcements 
from  Virginia  came  in,  and  Greene  could  venture  to  face  the  enemy 
and  provoke  the  famous  battle  of  Guilford.  It  is  a  well-known 
fact  that  Cornwallis's  army  ever  showed  a  dislike  to  Presbyterian 
ministers,  as  the  immediate  cause  of  much  of  the  stubborn  resist- 
ance which  met  them  at  every  step  in  Carolina.  McAden  had 
rested  from  his  labors  before  his  house  was  plundered,  like  Cald- 
well's ;  and  he  was  spared  the  trial  of  being  witness  of  the  miseries 
of  his  congregation,  and  flying,  like  a  criminal,  to  the  forests  and 
the  dens  of  the  earth,  like  his  brother,  of  Guilford. 

Mr.  McAden  lies  buried  in  the  grave-yard,  near  the  Red  House, 
in  Caswell  county,  about  five  miles  from  the  nourishing  town 
of  Milton,  the  Pioneer  in  Duplin,  New  Hanover,  Caswell,  and 
Pittsylvania. 

THE   CHURCHES    IN    DUPLIN    AND    NEW    HANOVER    AFTER    HIS 
DEPARTURE. 

For  a  long  period  there  was  no  successor  to  Mr.  McAden  in 
Duplin  and  New  Hanover.  The  congregations  were  served  only 
by  the  precarious  and  desultory  labors  of  occasional  missionaries, 
and  were  dwindling  away.  In  1793,  John  Robinson  was  licensed 
by  Orange  Presbytery,  and  directed  to  labor  in  Duplin.  The 
mutual  interest  resulting  from  his  first  visit,  led  to  his  settlement ; 
and  till  the  close  of  the  century,  his  successful  labors  were  devoted 
to  the  remains  of  the  congregations  served  by  McAden  for  about 
ten  years.  They  revived  under  his  ministry.  In  the  year  1800 
he  removed  to  Fayette ville. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  Stanford  became  a  member  of  Orange  Pres- 
bytery in  1795,  and  visited  the  low  country  before,  Mr.  Robinson 
left,  and  became  his  successor.  He  extended  his  labors  over  the 
greater  part  of  Duplin  as  a  minister,  and  conducted  a  classical 
chool  with  success.     The  Academy  at  the  Grove  has  been  kept 

12 


178  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

in  operation,  with  some  intermissions,  for  a  long  series  of  years. 
The  pastors  that  have  succeeded  Mr.  Stanford  have  been  patrons 
or  teachers  of  a  classical  school  either  at  the  Grove,  or  near  their 
own  residence,  and  have  kept  alive  the  spirit  of  classical  education, 
without  which  there  is  no  permanent  attention  to  polite  literature, 
and  sound  philosophy,  and  true  science.  Mr.  Stanford  wore  out 
his  strength  and  days  in  the  service  of  the  people  of  Duplin,  and 
finished  his  course  in  the  year  1828. 

For  a  few  years  the  Rev.  S.  D.  Hatch  labored  with  great  suc- 
cess in  Duplin  ;  and  left  the  county  for  a  more  southern  residence 
much  against  the  desires  of  an  affectionate  people. 

Rev.  Alexander  Mclver  ran  a  short  race  in  Duplin,  being 
arrested  by  sudden  death,  in  the  midst  of  his  days  and  his  use- 
fulness. 

Wilmington  had  no  organized  Presbyterian  church  till  long 
after  the  Revolution,  engaging  occasionally  the  services  of  well- 
educated  men,  who  acted  in  the  capacity  of  classical  teachers  and 
ministers  of  the  gospel.  Rev.  James  Tate,  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter, came  from  Ireland  to  Wilmington,  about  the  year  1760  ;  and 
for  his  support  opened  a  classical  school,  the  first  ever  taught  in 
the  place.  He  educated  many  of  the  young  men  of  New  Hanover, 
who  took  an  active  part  in  the  Revolution.  While  residing  in 
Wilmington,  he  was  accustomed  to  take  excursions  for  preaching 
through  New  Hanover  and  the  adjoining  counties,  particularly  up 
the  Black  and  South  Rivers.  In  the  course  of  his  visits  he  bap- 
.tized  the  children  of  the  Scotch  and  Irish  families,  that  chose  to 
present  them,  without  any  particular  inquiry  into  the  Christian 
^experience  of  the  parents,  which  would  perhaps  have  been  una- 
vailing of  any  good  in  the  destitute  condition  of  the  country.  It 
.is  supposed,  however,  that  he  practised  upon  the  principle  of  ad- 
mitting to  the  ordinance  the  children  of  all  those  who  had  been 
themselves  baptized,  if  not  guilty  of  scandalous  lives.  He  re- 
ceived a  small  fee  for  each  baptism,  either  in  money  or  in  cotton 
yarn ;  and  this  appears  to  have  been  all  his  salary  and  all  the 
remuneration  for  his  journeyings  and  services. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war,  being  a  staunch  whig  in  his 
principles,  he  found  it  prudent  to  leave  Wilmington  and  seek  a 
residence  in  the  upper  country.  He  declined  all  offers  to  be  con- 
nected with  a  congregation ;  engaged  in  frequent  preachings  in 
destitute  neighborhoods  desirous  of  hearing  the  gospel.  He  made 
his  home  in  the  Hawfields,  in  Orange.  Courteous  in  his  manners, 
especially  to  females,  he  was  never  married.     Particularly  neat  in 


hugh  m'aden.  179 

his  dress,  and  winning  in  his  conversation,  his  company  was  prized 
by  young  people  ;  and  his  influence  over  them  was  highly  improv- 
ing to  their  manners,  morals,  and  mental  culture. 

About  the  year  1770,  the  first  church  building  was  put  up  on 
Black  River,  near  where  the  Black  River  Chapel  now  stands. 

About  the  year  1785,  Rev.  William  Bingham,  from  Ireland, 
commenced  preaching  in  Wilmington  and  the  surrounding  country. 
He  sustained  himself  by  a  classical  school,  in  the  management  of 
which  he  attained  great  excellence  and  eclat.  He  removed  to  the 
upper  country,  and  taught  with  great  success  in  Chatham  and  in 
Orange.     His  mantle,  as  teacher,  fell  upon  his  sons. 

About  the  year  1790,  the  Rev.  Colin  Lindsey,  a  man  of  exten- 
sive education,  fine  appearance,  and  superior  talents  as  a  speaker, 
came  over  from  Scotland  on  invitation,  and  settled  on  Black  River) 
on  the  place  now  owned  by  Mr.  Sellars.  His  stay  was  short. 
Difficulties  of  a  moral  nature  arose  ;  and  in  about  two  years  he 
removed  to  Robeson.  Having  bought  a  yoke  of  oxen  on  a  Satur- 
day, at  a  sale,  he  permitted  them  to  be  driven  home  on  the  Sab- 
bath, alleging  as  a  reason,  want  of  food  at  the  place  of  sale  ;  a 
member  of  his  church  remonstrating,  he  expressed  strong  dissatis- 
faction at  the  liberty  taken  by  a  private  member  to  reprove  the 
minister.  Hard  words  and  hard  feelings  succeeded ;  the  congre- 
gation enlisted,  and  divided.  To  this  grievance  was  added  a 
charge  of  too  free  use  of  spirituous  liquors,  the  distinction  of  a 
moderate  use  being  admitted  ;  in  consequence  he  removed  first  to 
Raft  Marsh  congregation,  and  from  thence  to  Bethel.  About  the 
year  1802  he  was  deprived  by  Presbytery  of  his  authority  to 
preach,  and  was  excommunicated.  He  continued,  however,  to 
preach  and  baptize  whenever  opportunity  occurred ;  and  further 
rendered  himself  obnoxious  to  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  and  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  by  opposing  the  great  revival  of  1802. 
Seizing  upon  the  irregularities  that  accompanied  that  extensive 
work,  he  denounced  the  whole  as  a  delusion,  and  charged  his 
former  brethren  with  fanaticism,  and  unkind  and  unrighteous  disci- 
pline. By  his  talents  and  address  he  obtained  many  adherents, 
and  greatly  resisted  the  spread  of  religion,  as  taught  by  zealous 
ministers  of  the  day.  A  notice  of  this  man  appears  in  the  extracts 
from  the  records  of  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina  for  the  year  1810. 
His  latter  days  were  unhappy,  and  in  1832  he  died  unreconciled 
to  the  Presbytery.  Little  is  known  of  his  religious  exercises  in 
his  last  days. 

His  wife  was  of  the  Hamilton  family,  so  famous  in  Scotland  and 


180  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Ireland.  After  the  difficulties  with  her  husband  commenced,  she 
was  urged  to  return  to  Scotland,  but  refused.  She  survived  her 
husband  some  years  ;  her  last  days  were  cheered  by  the  family 
with  whom  she  resided,  by  the  name  of  McGlaughlin,  whose  par- 
tiality for  the  name  and  race  of  the  Hamiltons  was  expressed  in 
unremitting  attentions  to  her  in  her  infirmities. 

Early  in  the  year  1798,  the  Rev.  Robert  Tate,- a  licentiate  of 
Orange  Presbytery,  reared  in  the  Hawfields,  about  two  miles  east 
of  the  place  of  worship,  visited  New  Hanover  and  Duplin,  and 
became  a  resident  minister.  He  was  ordained  in  1799.  His 
preaching-places  have  been  mostly  in  New  Hanover.  His  first 
communion  was  on  Rockfish,  near  where  the  church  now  stands. 
Four  persons  united  with  him  and  his  wife,  viz. :  Timothy  Blood- 
worth  and  his  wife,  and  Timothy  Wilson  and  his  wife.  Mr.  Blood- 
worth  was  much  in  public  life, — collector  of  the  port  of  Wilming- 
ton, and  member  of  Congress  from  that  district.  In  his  old  age, 
he  prepared  for  the  ministry,  but  some  pecuniary  misfortunes  pre- 
vented his  entrance  upon  the  duties  of  the  office. 

Under  Mr.  Tate,  Rockfish,  Keith,  and  Hopewell  sprang  up 
and  opened  the  doors  of  the  sanctuary  to  a  large  region  of  coun- 
try. The  scene  of  McAden's  labors  had  become  a  desolation  ; 
but  the  church  still  lives  in  New  Hanover,  and  has  hope  of  con- 
tinuance. Black  River  congregation  was  for  a  long  time  a  sharer 
of  Mr.  Tate's  ministerial  labors.  Besides  the  refreshing  influence 
enjoyed  in  common  with  his  brethren,  in  1802,  and  for  some  suc- 
ceeding years,  and  various  more  limited  manifestations  of  divine 
presence,  the  congregations  generally  in  New  Hanover,  were  vi- 
sited, in  1832,  with  a  refreshing  influence,  which  added  many  to 
the  visible  church  of  Christ,  and  promoted  piety  and  the  life  of 
godliness. 

The  laborers  in  that  part  of  the  Lord's  vineyard  embraced  by 
New  Hanover,  and  Duplin,  and  Sampson,  have  great  reason  to 
be  encouraged,  while  they  labor  in  the  field  trod  by  the  first  Pres- 
byterian missionaries  to  Carolina,  and  hallowed  by  the  sepulchres 
of  the  ancient  dead.  When  another  century  shall  have  passed, 
may  there  be  found  worthy  successors  in  the  ministry,  and  flour- 
ishing churches  in  the  vast  Turpentine  Region ;  and  may  the 
blessings  of  grace  be  as  ceaseless  to  the  inhabitants  as  the  flow 
of  their  annual  temporal  wealth. 

m'aden's    places    of    preaching  while  residing  IN    CASWELL 

COUNTY. 

Colonel  James  Smith,  of  Tennessee,  an  emigrant  from  North 


HUGH    M'ADEN.  181 

Carolina,  and  son  of  Colonel  Samuel  Smith,  one  of  the  founders 
of  Grassy  Creek  church,  in  Granville  county,  in  a  letter  to  Dr. 
Alexander  Wilson,  of  Caldwell  Institute,  says,  "  some  time  be- 
tween 1755  and  1760,  Samuel  Bell,  with  his  brothers  and  son-in- 
law,  Donnell,  removed  from  Pennsylvania,  and  settled  in  the  forks 
of  Hico.  They  were  strict  Presbyterians,  and  were  soon  sup- 
plied with  preaching  by  a  Mr.  Black,  afterwards  by  Mr.  McAden, 
from  the  lower  part  of  the  State."  It  appears  that  this  gentleman 
was  not  aware  that  McAden  had  previously  visited  Hico,  and 
found  a  few  families  of  Presbyterians  already  there,  and  that  Mr. 
Pattillo  had  been  invited  there  in  1758.  The  emigrants  he  men- 
tions formed  the  congregation  of  Upper  Hico  (now  Greers) ;  from 
other  families  Mr.  McAden  organized  Middle  Hico  (Red  House) ; 
and  from  the  emigration  of  the  Barnet  family  and  their  friends,  he 
gathered  Barnet's,  or  Lower  Hico. 

Mr.  Smith  states  that  about  the  time  the  Bells  settled  in  the 
forks,  Hugh  Barnet,  his  brother,  and  their  friends,  seated  them- 
selves some  fifteen  or  twenty  miles  southeast  of  that  settlement, 
and  planted  a  church,  which  was  frequently  called  Barnet's, 
sometimes  Criswell's,  from  their  first  minister,  James  Criswell, 
who  was  licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery.  This  church  was 
sometimes  also  called  Lower  Hico,  and  though  it  has  ceased  to 
have  a  place  in  the  records  of  the  church,  it  at  one  time  contained 
more  members  than  any  of  the  sister  churches  in  the  State. 

There  was  another  church  in  Caswell  of  long  standing,  called 
Bethany,  or  Rattlesnake,  situated  on  the  road  from  Milton  to 
Yanceyville,  near  the  residence  of  Mr.  George  Williamson.  It 
was  never  under  the  care  of  Mr.  McAden.  For  a  long  time  it 
was  a  nourishing  church,  and  for  a  series  of  years  enjoyed  the 
labors  of  Rev.  Ebenezer  B.  Currie,  now  (1846)  the  oldest  mi- 
nister in  Orange  Presbytery.  This  church  has  been  divided,  and 
the  old  place  of  preaching  abandoned ;  one  part  of  the  church 
•  and  congregation  worshipping  in  Yanceyville,  and  the  other  form- 
ing the  church  of  Gilead,  some  five  miles  southwest  of  Milton. 

Mr.  McAden  had  another  place  of  preaching,  and  a  church  or- 
ganized near  Pittsylvania  court-house,  in  Virginia,  on  which  he 
regularly  attended  during  his  life.  May  the  church  now  rising  in 
Pittsylvania  come  up  like  a  phoenix  from  the  ashes  of  the  more 
ancient  and  almost  forgotten,  though  once  flourishing,  congrega- 
tions. 

The  Bell  family,  says  Mr.  Smith,  early  removed  from  this  to 
Guilford,   carrying  their  attachment  to  religion  and  to  Presby- 


182  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

terianism  along  with  them,  and  their  descendants  are  to  be  found 
there  to  this  day.  Two  of  the  sons  of  Samuel  Bell,  and  the 
daughter,  Donnell,  removed  to  the  west,  still  carrying  their  at- 
tachment to  religion  and  Presby terianism  along  with  them.  The 
two  sons  lived  to  an  advanced  age.  One  of  them,  while  on  his 
knees  at  family  prayer,  faltered  in  his  voice,  and  said,  "What 
is  this  ?" — and  ceased  to  breathe.  But  of  this  family,  says  Mr. 
Smith  (many  years  since),  sprung  four  preachers  of  strong  com- 
mon sense,  full  of  zeal,  and  eminent  for  piety.  By  this  family 
much  has  been  done  for  propagating  the  gospel  in  Tennessee, 
Kentucky,  Alabama,  Mississippi,  and  the  Cherokee  nation. 

The  Covenant  of  God  stands  sure.     "  I  will  be  a  God  to  thee 
and  thy  children  after  thee." 


CHURCH  OF  SUGAR  CREEK.  183 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

CHURCH   OF  SUGAR  CREEK — ITS   FIRST   MINISTER,  ALEXANDER    CRAIGHEAD. 

The  first  Presbyterian  minister  that  took  his  residence  in  Western 
Carolina,  and  the  third  in  the  State,  was  Alexander  Craighead.  In 
what  part  of  Ireland  he  was  born,  or  in  what  year  he  emigrated  to 
America,  is  not  a  matter  of  record.  The  name  of  Craighead  is  of 
frequent  occurrence  in  the  history  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  and 
of  Ireland,  and  holds  an  honorable  place  among  the  ministry. 
The  tradition  in  the  family  of  Mr.  Craighead,  as  related  by  Mr. 
Caruthers,  was,  that  his  father  and  grandfather,  and  perhaps  his  an- 
cestors further  back,  were  ministers  of  the  gospel,  strongly  attached 
to  the  church,  and  reputed  as  truly  pious.  A  Mr.  Thomas  Craig- 
head was  among  the  first  ministers  of  Donegal  Presbytery, — a 
native  of  Scotland,  ordained  in  Ireland, — emigrating  to  New  Eng- 
land, and  there  remaining  from  1715  to  1721, — uniting  with  the 
Presbytery  of  New  Castle  in  1724, — he  finished  his  course  in  1738. 

The  first  notice  we  have  of  Mr.  Alexander  Craighead,  as  member 
of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  appears  in  the  record  of  the  Synod 
for  the  year  1736,  September  16th  :  "  the  Presbytery  of  Donegal 
report  that  Mr.  Alexander  Craighead  was  last  winter  ordained  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  at  that  time  did  adopt  the  Westmin- 
ster Confession  of  Faith,  &c. ;  and  also,  both  he  and  Mr.  John 
Paul,  lately  from  Ireland,  having  now  heard  the  several  resolutions 
and  acts  of  the  Synod  in  relation  to  the  adopting  said  Confession, 
&c,  did  before  the  Synod  declare  their  agreement  thereunto."  In 
this  minute,  reference  is  made  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Synod  the 
previous  year  respecting  the  employing  of  ministers  from  abroad, 
requiring  of  them  an  express  acknowledgment  of  the  Westminster 
Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechisms,  before  the  Presbytery,  as  con- 
dition of  admission. 

Being  an  exceedingly  zealous  man,  of  an  ardent  temperament, 
devoted  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  he  was  noted  for  preaching 
sermons  peculiarly  calculated  to  awaken  careless  sinners.  Anxious 
for  the  salvation  of  men,  and  dreading  the  awful  consequences  of 
that  stupidity  on  the  subject  of  religion,  so  apparent  around  him, 
he  favored  those  measures  for  bringing  men  to  Christ  which  were 


184  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

not  so  acceptable  to  his  brethren  in  the  Presbytery.  He  was  ac- 
cused of  irregularities  before  his  Presbytery  in  1740.  No  immoral- 
ities were  alleged  against  him,  or  false  doctrines  charged  on  him ; 
the  complaint  was  against  various  proceedings  of  his  thought  to  be 
irregular.  This  was  about  the  time  of  the  great  revival  of  religion, 
which  in  the  course  of  a  few  years  was  felt  all  over  the  Protestant 
world,  began  to  be  seen  in  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania,  and 
the  neighboring  counties — an  account  of  which  from  the  pen  of 
Samuel  Blair  is  read  with  unabating  interest ;  and  the  commence- 
ment of  those  discussions  which  led  to  the  dismemberment  of  the 
Synod  of  Philadelphia  in  1745. 

The  Presbytery  were  unable  to  make  any  conclusion  of  the  mat-' 
ter  j  for  while  the  majority  were  against  him,  his  vehement  appeals 
to  the  public  turned  the  sympathies  of  the  community  in  his  favor. 
The  charge  of  irregularity  he  rebutted  by  the  recriminating  charge 
of  Pharisaism,  coldness  and  formality  ;  and  in  the  ardor  of  his 
defence  he  was  not  very  measured  in  his  epithets  and  comparisons. 

In  the  year  1741  the  case  was  carried  up  to  the  Synod,  and  was 
debated  with  much  earnestness.  The  great  revival  in  Mr.  Blair's 
congregation  in  Fagg's  Manor  had  spread  to  many  of  the  congre- 
gations that  had  previously  been  unmoved,  and  the  whole  commu- 
nity, both  religious  and  irreligious,  were  agitated,  not  so  much  on  the 
subject  of  doctrines,  as  of  measures,  not  of  orthodoxy  in-the  creed, 
but  of  prudence  and  propriety  in  the  conduct  of  church  matters 
generally,  and  the  peculiar  manner  of  administering  the  Word  of 
God,  from  which  error  in  belief  and  practice  might  arise.  The 
case  of  Mr.  Craighead  was  lost  sight  of  by  the  action  consequent 
upon  the  protest  brought  in  by  Rev.  Robert  Cross,  signed  by  him- 
self and  eleven  ministers  and  eight  elders.  The  members  of  New 
Brunswick  Presbytery  withdrew,  and  Mr.  Craighead  withdrew  with 
them.  His  name  does  not  appear  on  the  list  of  either  Synod  of 
New  York  or  Philadelphia  until  the  year  1753,  when  he  appears  upon 
the  roll  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  as  an  absentee.  From  the  records 
for  1755,  he  appears  as  member  of  New  Castle  Presbytery.  During 
the  interval  from  1745  to  1753,  he  was  for  a  time  an  associate  with 
the  Cameronians.  He  was  a  great  admirer  of  Whitefield's  spirit 
and  action;  and  like  the  first  minister  among  the  Presbyterians  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  State,  James  Campbell,  drank  deeply  of  the 
same  fountain  of  truth  and  love.  Like  the  man  they  admired,  both 
these  ministers  possessed  the  power  of  moving  men ;  and  both  left 
an  impress  upon  the  community  in  which  they  lived  in  Carolina, 
and  stamped  an  image  on  the  churches  they  gathered,  which  are 


CHURCH  OF  SUGAR  CREEK.  185 

visible  to  this  day.  To  all  human  appearance  there  has  been  a 
great  amount  of  fervent  piety  among  the  churches  gathered  and 
watered  by  these  men,  which  has  been  bequeathed  to  their  descend- 
ants from  generation  to  generation,  as  a  precious  inheritance  of  the 
covenant  of  faith. 

Previous  to  the  time  that  Mr.  Craighead's  name  appears  upon  the 
roll  of  the  Synod  of  New  York,  1753,  he  removed  to  Virginia,  pro- 
bably about  the  year  1749,  and  took  his  residence  in  the  county  of 
Augusta,  on  the  Cow  Pasture  river,  in  the  bounds  of  the  present 
Windy  Cove  congregation.  There  is  upon  the  minutes  of  the  Phi- 
ladelphia Synod,  in  the  year  1752,  a  mention  of  a  Mr.  Craighead, 
the  Christian  name  not  given,  and  the  Presbytery  with  which  he 
held  his  connection  not  mentioned. 

Mr.  Alexander  Craighead's  name  was  enrolled  among  the  mem- 
bers set  off  for  the  formation  of  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  following  extract  from  minutes  of  the  Synod  of 
New  York  for  1755  :  "  A  petition  was  brought  into  the  Synod  set- 
ting forth  the  necessity  of  erecting  a  new  Presbytery  in  Virginia, 
the  Synod  therefore  appoint  the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  John  Todd, 
Alexander  Craighead,  Robert  Henry,  John  Wright,  and  John 
Brown,  to  be  a  Presbytery  under  the  name  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Hanover,  and  that  their  first  meeting  shall  be  in  Hanover,  on  the 
first  Wednesday  of  December  next,  and  that  Mr.  Davies  open  said 
meeting  by  a  sermon ;  and  that  any  of  their  members  settling  to 
the  southward  and  westward  of  Mr.  Hogge's  congregation,  shall 
have  liberty  to  join  said  Presbytery  of  Hanover." 

Owing  probably  to  the  troubles  in  the  country,  Mr.  Craighead 
did  not  meet  with  the  Presbytery  for  some  two  years  after  its  form- 
ation. 

The  defeat  of  Braddock  on  the  9th  of  July,  1755,  had  thrown 
the  frontiers  of  Virginia  at  the  mercy  of  the  Indians.  The  inroads 
of  the  savages  were  frequent  and  murderous.  Terror  reigned 
throughout  the  valley.  Mr.  Craighead  occupying  a  most  exposed 
situation,  his  preaching-place  being  a  short  distance  from  the 
present  Windy  Cove  church,  and  his  dwelling  on  the  farm  now 
occupied  by  Mr.  Andrew  Settlington — in  a  settlement  on  the  Vir- 
ginia frontier,  and  open  to  the  incursions  of  the  savages,  fled  with 
those  of  his  people  who  were  disposed  and  able  to  fly,  and  sought 
safety  in  less  exposed  situations,  after  having  lived  in  Virginia 
about  six  years.  Crossing  the  Blue  Ridge,  he  passed  on  to  the  more 
quiet  regions  in  Carolina,  and  found  a  location  among  the  settle- 
ments along  the  Catawba  and  its  smaller  tributaries,  in  the  bounds 


186  SKETCHES  OP  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

of  what  is  now  Mecklenburg  county.  Mr.  Craighead  first  met 
with  Hanover  Presbytery  at  Cub  Creek,  Sept.  2d,  1757.  At  a 
meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in  Cumberland,  at  Capt.  Anderson's,  Jan- 
uary, 1758,  Mr.  Craighead  was  directed  to  preach  at  Rocky  River, 
on  the  second  Sabbath  of  February,  and  visit  the  other  vacancies 
till  the  spring  meeting.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  in 
April,  a  call  from  Rocky  River  was  presented  for  the  services  of 
Mr.  Craighead.  He  accepted  the  call,  and  requested  installation. 
"  Presbytery  hereby  consent  that  Mr.  Craighead  should  accept  the 
call  of  the  people  on  Rocky  River,  in  North  Carolina,  and  settle 
with  them  as  their  minister,  and  they  appoint  Mr.  Martin  to  preside 
at  his  installation  at  such  time  as  best  suits  them  both."  This  ap- 
pointment Mr.  Martin  failed  to  fulfil,  and  in  September,  Mr.  William 
Richardson,  on  his  way  to  the  Cherokees,  was  appointed  to  per- 
form the  duty.  This  appointment  was  fulfilled,  though  the  day  of 
the  services  is  not  given.  From  this  record  it  appears  that  the 
name  of  the  oldest  church  in  the  upper  country  was  Rocky  River  ; 
and  it  included  Sugar  Creek  in  its  bounds.  In  1765  the  bounds  of 
all  the  congregations  were  adjusted  by  order  of  the  Synod. 

In  this  beautiful,  fertile  and  peaceful  country,  Mr.  Craighead 
passed  the  remainder  of  his  days,  in  the  active  duties  of  a  frontier 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  ended  his  successful  labors  in  his  Mas- 
ter's vineyard  in  the  month  of  March,  1766 ;  the  solitary  minister 
between  the  Yadkin  and  Catawba. 

In  this  retired  country,  too,  he  found  full  and  undisturbed  exer- 
cise for  that  ardent  love  of  personal  liberty  and  freedom  of  opinion 
which  had  rendered  him  obnoxious  in  Pennsylvania,  and  was  in 
some  measure  restrained  in  Virginia.  He  was  ahead  of  his  minis- 
terial brethren  in  Pennsylvania  in  his  views  of  civil  government 
and  religious  liberty,  and  became  particularly  offensive  to  the  Go- 
vernor for  a  pamphlet  of  a  political  nature,  the  authorship  of  which 
was  attributed  to  him.  This  pamphlet  attracted  so  much  attention, 
that  in  1743  Thomas  Cookson,  one  of  his  Majesty's  justices,  for  the 
county  of  Lancaster,  in  the  name  of  the  Governor,  laid  it  before  the 
Synod  of  Philadelphia.  The  Synod  disavowed  both  the  pamphlet 
and  Mr.  Craighead  ;  and  agreed  with  the  Justice  that  it  was  calcu- 
lated to  foment  disloyal  and  rebellious  practices,  and  disseminate 
principles  of  disaffection. 

In  the  State  of  Virginia  to  which  he  removed,  the  disabilities 
upon  those  who  dissented  from  the  established  government,  were 
ill-suited  to  the  spirit  of  such  a  man  as  Mr.  Craighead.  To  fight 
with  savages,  to  defend  the  frontiers,  and  shield  the  plantations  of 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  187 

Eastern  Virginia ;  for  men  that  could  not  yield  to  his  congregation 
the  privilege  of  being  married  according  to  the  ceremonies  of  the 
church  to  which  they  belonged,  and  who  required  of  them  to  sup- 
port a  ministry  on  whose  ordinances,  public  and  private,  they  would 
not  attend,  could  not  be  agreeable  to  a  spirit  that  longed  for  all  the 
freedom  that  belongs  to  man,  and  in  his  aspirations  for  what  he  had 
not  seen,  and  scarcely  knew  how  to  comprehend,  indulged  in  lati- 
tude of  thought  and  expression  alarming  even  to  emigrants  from 
Ireland,  whose  minds  had  not  been  restrained  in  their  speculations 
about  religious  and  civil  liberty. 

In  Carolina,  he  found  a  people  remote  from  the  seat  of  authority, 
among  whom  the  intolerant  laws  were  a  dead  letter,  so  far  divided 
from  other  congregations,  even  of  his  own  faith,  that  there  could  be 
no  collision  with  him,  on  account  of  faith  or  practice  ;  so  united  in 
their  general  principles  of  religion  and  church  government,  that  he 
was  the  teacher  of  the  whole  population,  and  here  his  spirit  rested. 
Here  he  passed  his  days;  here  he  poured  forth  his  principles  of 
religious  and  civil  government,  undisturbed  by  the  jealousy  of  the 
government,  too  distant  to  be  aware  of  his  doings,  or  too  careless  to 
be  interested  in  the  poor  and  distant  emigrants  on  the  Catawba. 

Mr.  Craighead  had  the  privilege  of  forming  the  principles,  both 
civil  and  religious,  in  no  measured  degree,  of  a  race  of  men  that 
feared  God,  and  feared  not  labor  and  hardship,  or  the  face  of  man ; 
a  race  that  sought  for  freedom  and  property  in  the  wilderness, 
and  having  found  them,  rejoiced, — a  race  capable  of  great  excel- 
lence, mental  and  physical,  whose  minds  could  conceive  the  glorious 
idea  of  Independence,  and  whose  convention  announced  it  to  the 
world,  in  May,  1775,  and  whose  hands  sustained  it  in  the  trying 
scenes  of  the  Revolution. 

About  the  time  the  emigration  from  Ireland,  through  Pennsylva- 
nia, began  to  occupy  the  beautiful  valley  of  Virginia,  and  the 
waters  of  the  Roanoke,  some  scattered  families  were  found  follow- 
ing the  Indian  traders'  path  to  the  wide  prairies  on  the  east  of  the 
Catawba,  and  west  of  the  Yadkin.  From  the  similarity  of  names, 
in  the  absence  of  other  proof,  it  is  very  probable  that  these  settle- 
ments, in  the  beautiful  Mesopotamia  of  Carolina,  were  formed  from 
emigrants  from  the  same  parts  of  Ireland  that  nurtured  the  youth  of 
the  ancestors  of  the  congregation  on  Opecquon,  in  Frederick 
county,  in  Virginia,  and  the  congregation  of  the  Tripleforks  of 
Shenandoah,  in  Augusta.  These  in  Virginia  were  commenced  about 
the  year  1737 ;  those  in  Carolina  must  have  been  soon  after.  By 
means  of  the  memoranda  preserved  by  the  Clark  family,  that  have 


188  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

lived  more  than  a  century  along  the  Cape  Fear  river,  it  is  ascer- 
tained that  a  family,  if  not  a  company,  of  emigrants  went  to  the 
west  of  Yadkin,  as  all  the  upper  country  was  then  called,  as  early 
as  the  year  1746,  to  join  some  families  that  were  living  sequestered 
in  that  fertile  region.  This,  the  oldest  positive  date  that  is  now 
known,  indicates  a  previous  settlement,  the  time  of  whose  arrival 
cannot  be  found  out,  as  the  records  of  courts  are  all  silent,  and  the 
offices  of  the  foreign  landowners  were  not  then  opened  for  the  sale 
of  these  remote  fields  and  forests. 

The  emigrants  from  Ireland,  holding  the  Protestant  faith,  the  first 
to  leave  the  place  of  their  birth,  for  the  enjoyment  of  freedom,  in 
companies  sufficient  to  form  settlements,  sought  the  wilds  of  Ame- 
rica by  two  avenues,  the  one,  by  the  Delaware  River,  whose  chief 
port  was  Philadelphia,  and  the  other,  by  a  more  southern  landing, 
the  port  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina.  Those  landing  at  the 
southern  port,  immediately  sought  the  fertile  forests  of  the  upper 
country,  approaching  North  Carolina  on  one  side,  and  Georgia  on 
the  other ;  and  not  being  very  particular  about  boundaries,  extended 
southward  at  pleasure,  while,  on  the  north,  they  were  checked  by  a 
counter  tide  of  emigration.  Those  who  landed  on  the  Delaware, 
after  the  desirable  lands  east  of  the  Alleghanies,  in  Pennsylvania, 
were  occupied,  turned  their  course  southward,  and  were  speedily  on 
the  Catawba :  passing  on,  they  met  the  southern  tide,  and  the 
stream  turned  westward,  to  the  wilderness  long  known  as  "  Beyond 
the  Mountains  ;"  now,  as  Tennessee.  These  two  streams,  from  the 
same  original  fountain,  Ireland,  meeting  and  intermingling  in  this 
new  soil,  preserve  the  characteristic  difference,  the  one,  possessing 
some  of  the  air  and  manner  of  Pennsylvania,  and  the  other,  of 
Charleston.  These  are  the  Puritans,  the  Roundheads  of  the  South, 
the  Blue-stockings  of  all  countries  ;  men  that  settled  the  wilderness 
on  principle,  and  for  principle's  sake ;  that  built  churches  from  prin- 
ciple, and  fought  for  liberty  of  person  and  conscience  as  their 
acquisition,  and  the  birthright  of  their  children. 

Passing  along  the  upper  stage  route  from  South  Carolina,  through 
the  "  Old  North  State?  to  the  "  Old  Dominion?  the  traveller  is 
conducted  through  the  pleasant  villages  of  Charlotte,  Concord, 
Salisbury,  Lexington,  Greensborough,  and  then  either  through 
Hillsborough  to  the  capital  of  North  Carolina,  Raleigh,  or  through 
Danville  or  Milton,  on  to  the  River  of  Powhatan.  This  is  the  line  of 
settlements  of  the  emigrants  from  Ireland,  as  they  sought  a  residence 
in  this  beautiful  upper  country.  After  passing  Charlotte,  the  first  ob- 
ject of  importance  that  meets  the  eye  of  one  searching  for  localities, 
is  the  plain  brick  meeting-house,  of  the  Sugar  Creek  congregation, 


CHURCH  OF  SUGAR  CREEK.  189 

about  three  miles  north  of  the  village.  This  is  the  present  place 
of  worship  of  part  of  the  oldest  Presbyterian  congregation  in  the 
upper  country,  in  some  measure  the  Parent  of  the  Seven 
Congregations  that  formed  the  Convention  in  Charlotte,  in  1775.. 
The  Indian  name  of  the  creek,  which  gave  name  to  the  congrega- 
tion, was  pronounced  Sugaw  or  Soogaw,  and  in  the  early  records 
of  the  Church,  was  written  Sugaw  ;  but  for  many  years  it  has  been 
written  according  to  the  common  pronunciation,  ending  the  word 
with  the  letter  r,  instead  of  w .  This  brick  church  is  the  third 
house  of  worship  used  by  the  congregation ;  the  first  stood  about  half 
a  mile  west  from  this,  and  the  second,  a  few  steps  south,  the  pulpit 
being  over  the  place  now  occupied  by  the  pastor's  grave. 

Previous  to  the  year  1750,  the  emigration  to  this  beautiful  but 
distant  frontier  was  slow,  and  the  solitary  cabins  were  found  upon 
the  borders  of  prairies,  and  in  the  vicinity  of  canebrakes,  the 
immense  ranges  abounding  with  wild  game,  and  affording  suste- 
nance the  whole  year,  for  herds  of  tame  cattle.  Extensive  tracts 
of  country  between  the  Yadkin  and  the  Catawba,  now  waving  with 
thrifty  forests,  then  were  covered  with  tall  grass,  with  scarce  a 
bush  or  shrub,  looking  at  first  view  as  if  immense  grazing  farms 
had  been  at  once  abandoned,  the  houses  disappearing,  and  the 
abundant  grass  luxuriating  in  its  native  wildness  and  beauty,  the 
wild  herds  wandering  at  pleasure,  and  nature  rejoicing  in  undis- 
turbed quietness. 

From  about  the  year  1750,  family  after  family,  group  after  group, 
succeeded  in  rapid  progression,  led  on  by  reports  sent  back  by  the 
adventurous  pioneers  of  the  fertility  and  beauty  of  those  solitudes, 
where  conscience  was  free,  and  labor  all  voluntary.  By  the  time 
that  Mr.  McAden  visited  the  settlements  in  1755  and  1756,  they 
were  in  sufficient  numbers  to  form  a  congregation  in  the  centre 
spot.  Many  of  the  early  settlers  were  truly  pious,  many  others  had 
been  accustomed  to  attend  upon  and  support  the  ordinances  of  God's 
house.  Intermingled  were  some  that  delighted,  in  these  solitudes,  to 
throw  off  all  restraint,  and  live  in  open  disregard  of  the  ordinances 
of  God,  and  as  far  as  was  safe,  in  defiance  of  the  laws  of  man. 
The  pious  and  the  moral  united  in  the  worship  of  God,  and  formed 
the  congregation  of  Sugaw  Creek,  which  knew  no  other  bounds  than 
the  distance  men  and  women  could  walk  'or  ride  to  church,  which 
was  often  as  much  as  fifteen  miles,  as  a  regular  thing,  and  twenty 
for  an  occasional  meeting. 

At  the  time  of  the  settlement  of  Mr.  Craighead,  the  county  of 
Anson  extended  from  Bladen  indefinitely  west,  having  been  set  off 


190  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

in  1749,  as  a  separate  county.  In  the  year  1762,  the  county  of 
Mecklenburg  was  set  off  from  Anson,  and  took  its  name  in  honor 
of  the  reicnino-  house  of  Hanover  ;  and  the  county  seat,  in  the 
bounds  of  Sugaw  Creek  congregation,  and  about  three  miles  from 
the  church,  was  called  Charlotte,  in  honor  of  the  Princess  Charlotte 
of  Mecklenburg. 

About  the  year  1765,  by  order  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  the  congregations  that  surround  Sugar  Creek  were 
organized  by  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Spencer  and  M'Whorter,  as  appears 
from  the  Records  of  Synod  as  follows : — viz.,  Elizabethtown,  May 
23d,  1764, — "  Synod  more  particularly  considering  the  state  of 
many  congregations  to  the  southward,  and  particularly  North  Caro- 
lina, and  the  great  importance  of  having  those  congregations  pro- 
perly organized,  appoint  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Elihu  Spencer  and 
Alexander  M'Whorter,  to  go  as  our  missionaries  for  that  purpose ; 
that  they  form  societies,  help  them  in  adjusting  their  bounds,  to 
ordain  elders,  administer  sealing  ordinances,  instruct  the  people  in 
discipline,  and  finally  direct  them  in  their  after  conduct,"  &c.  On 
the  16th  of  May,  1765,  this  committee  reported  to  the  Synod  that 
they  had  performed  their  mission;  this  report,  however,  has  not 
been  preserved.  But  we  are  not  left  at  a  loss  for  the  names  of  part 
of  the  congregations  whose  bounds  they  adjusted,  as,  in  that  and  the 
succeeding  year,  calls  were  sent  in  for  pastors  from  Steel  Creek, 
Providence,  Hopewell,  Centre,  Rocky  River,  and  Poplar  Tent,  which 
entirely  surrounded  Sugar  Creek,  besides  those  in  Rowan  and  Ire- 
dell. 

These  seven  congregations  were  in  Mecklenburg,  except  a  part 
of  Centre  which  lay  in  Rowan  (now  Iredell), — and  in  their  exten- 
sive bounds  comprehended  almost  the  entire  county.  From  these 
came  the  delegates  that  formed  the  celebrated  convention  in  Char- 
lotte. 

A  visit  to  the  localities  of  this  congregation  will  reward  the  tra- 
veller. 

Turnino-  westward  from  this  brick  church,  about  half  a  mile 
through  the  woods,  you  find  on  a  gentle  ascent,  the  first  burying 
ground  of  this  congregation,  and  probably  the  oldest  in  Mecklen- 
burg county.  A  few  rods  to  the  east  of  the  stone  wall  that  surrounds 
it,  stood  a  log  church  where  Craighead  preached,  and  where  were 
congregated  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath  many  choice  spirits,  that 
having  worshipped  the  God  of  their  fathers,  in  this  wilderness,  far 
from  their  native  land,  now  sleep  in  this  yard.  The  house,  to  its 
very  foundation,  has  passed  away,  and  with  it  the  generation  that 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  191 

gathered  in  it,  upon  the  first  settlement  of  the  land.  Their  deeds 
remain.  The  children  of  that  race  are  passing  away  too  ;  scarce  a 
man  or  woman  lingers  in  the  flesh ;  and  with  them  is  passing,  fast 
passing  to  oblivion,  the  knowledge  of  things,  and  men,  and  deeds, 
which  posterity  will  fain  dig  from  the  rubbish  of  antiquity,  and 
shall  dig  for  in  vain.  The  generation  has  passed,  without  a  history, 
and  almost  without  an  epitaph. 

These  little  breaches  you  see  in  the  time  defying  wall,  reared  by 
the  emigrants  around  the  burial  place  of  their  dead,  were  made  by 
gold  diggers,  when  the  excitement  first  spread  over  the  land  upon 
the  discovery,  that  these  adventurous  people  had  lived,  and  died, 
and  were  buried  here,  ignorant  that  there  was,  or  could  be,  in  their 
place  of  worship  and  sepulture,  any  deposit  more  dear  to  posterity 
than  the  ashes  of  their  ancestors.  Entering  by  the  gateway  at  the 
north-western  corner  through  which  the  emigrants  carried  their 
dead,  a  multitude  of  graves  closely  congregated,  with  a  few  scattered 
monuments,  meet  the  eye.  You  cannot  avoid  the  impression,  as  you 
move  on,  that  you  are  walking  upon  the  ashes  of  the  dead ;  and  as 
you  read  some  of  the  scanty  memorials,  reared  by  affection  to  mark 
the  burial-places  of  friends,  that  you  are  among  the  tombs  of  the 
first  settlers  who  lie  in  crowds  beneath  your  feet,  without  a  stone  to 
tell  whose  body  is  resting  there  in  expectation  of  the  resurrection. 

The  first  head-stone,  a  little  distance  from  the  gate,  on  the  right, 
is  inscribed, — "  Mrs.  Jemima  Alexander  Sharpe  ;  born  Jem.  9th, 
1727:  died  Sept.  1st,  1797  :  a  widdow  38  yeeirs."  An  elder  sister 
of  the  secretary  of  the  convention,  one  of  the  earliest  emigrants  to 
this  country,  she  used  to  say,  that  in  the  early  days  of  her  residence 
here,  her  nearest  neighbor  northward  was  eight  miles,  and  south- 
ward and  eastward,  fifteen;  that  the  coming  of  a  neighbor  was  a 
matter  of  rejoicing ;  and  that  her  heart  was  sustained  in  her  solitude 
by  the  Doctrines  of  the  Gospel  and  the  Creed  of  her  Church. 

In  the  southwest  corner  is  an  inscription  to — Jane  Wallis,  who 
died  July  31st,  1792,  in  the  eightieth  year  of  her  age, — the  honored 
mother  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Wallis,  minister  of  Providence,  some  fifteen 
miles  south  of  this  place, — the  able  defender  of  Christianity  against 
infidelity  spreading  over  the  country  at  the  close  of  the  Revolution, 
like  a  flood.     His  grave  is  with  his  people. 

Near  the  middle  of  the  yard  is  the  stone  inscribed  to  the  memory 
of  David  Robinson,  who  died  October  12th,  1808,  aged  eighty-two, 
— an  emigrant,  and  the  father  of  the  late  Dr.  Robinson,  who  served 
the  congregation  of  Poplar  Tent  about  forty  years,  and  ended  his 
course  in  December,  1843.     It  was  at  a  spring  on  this  man's  land, 


192  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  near  his  house,  that  the  congregation  of  Sugar  Creek  and 
Hopewell  used  to  meet  and  spend  days  of  fasting  and  prayer  to- 
gether, during  the  troublesome  times  of  the  early  stages  of  the 
French  Revolution.  From  the  peculiar  formation  of  the  ravine 
around  the  spring,  the  pious  people  were  willing  to  believe  that  it 
was  a  place  designed  of  God  for  his  people  to  meet  and  seek  his 
face. 

The  oldest  monument,  but  not  the  monument  of  the  oldest  grave, 
is  a  small  stone  thus  inscribed. 

Here  Lys  the 

Body  of  Robert 

McKee,  who  deceased 

October  the  19th,  1775, 

Aged  73  years. 

Around  lie  many  that  were  distinguished  in  the  Revolution,  without 
a  stone  to  their  graves,  and  not  one  with  an  epitaph,  that  should 
tell  the  fact  of  that  honorable  distinction.  Perhaps  the  omission 
may  have  arisen  from  the  circumstance  honorable  to  the  country, 
that,  with  few  exceptions,  the  whole  neighborhood  were  noted  for 
privations  and  suffering,  and  brave  exploits  in  a  cause  sacred  in 
their  eyes. 

The  most  interesting  grave  is  at  the  southeast  corner,  without 
an  inscription  or  even  a  stone  or  mound  to  signify  that  the  bones 
of  any  mortal  are  there.  It  is  the  grave  of  the  Reverend  Alex- 
ander Craighead,  the  first  minister  of  the  congregation,  and  of  the 
six  succeeding  ones  whose  members  composed  the  entire  conven- 
tion in  Charlotte,  in  May,  1775.  Tradition  says  that  these  two 
sassafras  trees,  standing,  the  one  at  the  head,  and  the  other  at  the 
foot  of  the  grave,  sprung  from  the  two  sticks  on  which,  as  a  bier, 
the  coffin  of  this  memorable  man  was  borne  to  the  grave  in  March, 
1766.  Being  thrust  into  the  ground  to  mark  the  spot  temporarily, 
the  green  sticks,  fresh  from  the  mother  stock,  took  root  and  grew. 
Was  it  an  emblem  1  Were  we  as  superstitious  as  the  people  of 
Europe  a  hundred  years  ago,  we  might  read  in  this  and  the  sur- 
rounding congregations,  the  fulfilment  of  this  mute  prophecy. 
The  aspirations  for  liberty,  which  were  too  warm  for  the  province 
of  Pennsylvania  or  even  Virginia,  were  congenial  to  the  spirits 
here.  When  the  hearts  around  him  beat  with  his,  Craighead 
ceased  to  be  "  tinged  with  an  uncharitable  and  party  spirit"  charged 
on  him  in  Pennsylvania ;  and  the  community  which  assumed  its 
form  under  his  guiding  hand,  had  the  image  of  democratic  republi- 
can liberty  more  fair  than  any  sister  settlement  in  all  the  south, 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  193 

perhaps  in  all  the  United  States.  And  his  religious  creed  as  to 
doctrines,  and  also  as  to  experience,  has  been  the  creed  of  the 
Presbyterians  of  Mecklenburg.  Soundness  of  doctrine,  according  to 
the  Confession  of  Faith,  has  been  maintained  by  his  congregation  at 
all  hazards — and  a  standard  of  warm-hearted  piety  and  ardent  de- 
votion has  been  handed  down  as  a  legacy  from  their  fathers  to  suc- 
ceeding generations  to  which  the  church  has  always  looked  with 
kindling  desire.  Mr.  Caruthers  tells  us,  Mr.  Craighead  was  sub- 
ject, in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  to  dejection  of  spirits.  This  of 
course  lessened  his  capability  to  labor  ;  and  may  account  for  the 
application  from  Rocky  River  for  supplies  in  1761,  as  he  was  the 
only  minister  in  the  country. 

Besides  this  double  influence  of  the  man,  living  and  speaking 
after  him,  much  of  his  spirit  has  been  inherited  by  his  descendants, 
and  with  it  the  affections  of  the  people.  He  left  two  sons,  and 
several  daughters.  One  son,  Thomas,  licensed  in  1778,  supplied 
the  congregation  of  his  father  for  some  time  ;  but  declining  a  set- 
tlement in  North  Carolina,  he  ultimately  removed  to  Tennessee  ; — 
an  eloquent  preacher  and  warm-hearted  man.  He  died  a  few 
years  since  near  Nashville ;  the  latter  part  of  his  life  rendered  less 
useful  by  his  difference  with  his  brethren  on  the  subject  of  the 
agency  of  the  Word  in  the  conversion  of  men.  His  third  daughter, 
Rachel,  was  married  to  the  Reverend  David  Caldwell  of  Guilford, 
whose  life  has  been  given  to  the  public  by  his  successor,  the  Reve- 
rend Eli  W.  Caruthers,  and  became  the  mother  of  Samuel  C.  Cald- 
well, whose  whole  ministerial  life,  with  small  exception,  was  devot- 
ed to  this,  his  grandfather's  charge.  His  memorial,  testifying  to 
his  service  for  thirty-five  years,  is  near  the  new  brick  meeting-house. 

After  the  removal  of  Dr.  Morrison  to  Davidson  College,  a  great 
grandson  of  Craighead  succeeded  to  his  pulpit,  John  Madison  Mc- 
Knitt  Caldwell,  the  son  of  S.  C.  Caldwell,  and  served  them  till  the 
year  1845. 

"  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the  righteous,  and  let  my  last  end  be  like 
his.  Blessed  are  the  dead  who  die  in  the  Lord,  from  henceforth, 
yea,  saith  the  spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their 
works  do  follow  them." 

The  immediate  successor  of  Mr.  Craighead*  was  Joseph  Alexan- 
der, a  connexion  of  the  McKnitt  branch  of  Alexanders,  a  man  of 
education  and  talents,  of  small  stature,  and  exceedingly  animated  in 
his  pulpit  exercises.  Licensed  by  New  Castle  Presbytery  in  1767, 
in  October  of  that  year  he  presented  his  credentials  to  Hanover 
Presbytery  at  the  Bird  church,  in  Goochland,  and  accepted  a  call  from 

13 


194  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Sugar  Creek.  His  ordination  took  place  with  that  of  Mr.  David 
Caldwell  on  March  4th,  1768,  at  Buffalo.  He  read  his  lecture  on 
John,  3d  Chapter,  3d  to  5th  verse,  on  the  third  of  March,  and  also 
his  trial  sermon  on  the  words — "  There  is  one  mediator  between  God 
and  man,  the  man  Christ  Jesus."  Mr.  Pattello  presided  at  the  in- 
stallation. On  the  third  Friday  in  May,  Mr.  Caldwell  performed 
the  services  of  his  installation  as  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek. 

A  fine  scholar,  he,  in  connection  with  Mr.  Benedict,  taught  a  clas- 
sical school  of  high  excellence  and  usefulness.  From  Sugar  Creek 
he  removed  to  Bullock's  Creek,  South  Carolina,  and  was  long 
known  in  the  church  as  a  minister  and  teacher  of  youth  for  profes- 
sional life.  A  volume  of  his  sermons  was-  given  to  the  public  after 
his  death. 

While  the  Presbyterians  were  laboring  in  vain  to  get  a  charter 
for  a  college,  in  Charlotte,  confirmed  by  the  king,  the  notorious 
Fanning  offered  to  get  a  university  of  which  he  himself  should  be 
chancellor,  and  Mr.  Joseph  Alexander,  who  was  noted  as  a  teacher, 
should  be  first  professor.  But  much  as  the  people  desired  a  col- 
lege and  loved  Alexander,  they  could  not  take  one  with  such  a 
chancellor. 

Returning  to  the  Brick  church,  we  enter  the  grave-yard  by  the 
roadside  on  the  south.  The  first  white  stone  that  meets  the  eye, 
marks  the  grave  of  S.  C.  Caldwell,  directly  beneath  the  communion 
table  of  the  log  church  he  long  occupied  as  minister,  the  spot  where 
he  stood  when  he  took  his  ordination  vows,  and  where  he  chose  to 
be  buried  when  he  should  have  finished  his  course.  Around  the 
preacher  sleeps  the  congregation  who  worshipped  in  the  house 
that  stood  here  during  the  Revolution.  The  pastor  and  people  and 
building  are  passed  away.  The  children  that  assembled  here,  in 
Revolutionary  times,  have  grown  old,  and  scarcely  here  and  there 
one  remains  to  tell  the  history  of  the  exploits  and  sufferings  of  the 
war,  and  the  traditions  of  the  settlement.  The  man  that  sleeps  ins 
that  grave  led  the  flock  of  his  grandfather  through  the  troublesome 
times  that  succeeded  the  Revolution,  when  the  infidelity  of  France 
rolled  its  burning  waves  with  fury  across  the  whole  continent. 

Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  the  son  of  David  Caldwell  of  Guilford,  and 
grandson  of  Alexander  Craighead,  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gos- 
pel, when  but  nineteen  years  of  age,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange. 
Dr.  Hall,  of  Iredell,  used  his  influence,  and  none  knew  how  to  exer- 
cise it  better  with  young  men,  in  persuading  him  to  accept  the  call 
made  by  his  grandfather's  congregation  ;  and  preached  the  ordina- 
tion sermon  on  February  21st,  1792,  at  which  time  Mr.  Caldwell 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  195 

became  Pastor  of  Sugar  Creek  and  Hopewell  churches.  The  five 
years  that  elapsed  between  his  licensure  and  ordination  had  much 
of  it  been  spent  in  these  congregations;  and  the  success  attending 
his  ministry  led  the  people  earnestly  to  desire  his  settlement.  Dr. 
Hall,  in  a  note  to  the  sermon  delivered  on  the  occasion  of  his  ordi- 
nation, says, — "  Under  Mr.  Caldwell's  first  ministrations  in  those 
congregations,  it  pleased  God  to  send  a  reviving  time,  in  conse- 
quence of  which,  there  were  upwards  of  seventy  young  communi- 
cants admitted  to  the  Lord's  table  in  one  day." 

He  resided  for  a  time  with  David  Robinson  by  the  famous  Spring  ; 
and  John  Robinson,  the  son,  afterwards  pastor  of  Poplar  Tent,  pur- 
sued his  studies  for  the  ministry  in  the  same  room  with  him. 

Being  united  in  marriage  with  Abigail  Bane,  the  daughter  of 
John  M'Knitt  Alexander,  he  took  his  residence  in  Hopewell.  After 
her  death,  which  occurred  in  1802,  leaving  him  with  two  motherless 
children,  circumstances  occurred  which  led  to  his  giving  up  the 
charge  of  Hopewell  in  1805,  and  he  removed  to  Sugar  Creek,  giving 
three-fourths  of  his  time  to  Sugar  Creek ;  the  other  fourth  of  his 
labors  he  expended  at  Charlottetown  for  a  time  ;  then  at  Paw  Creek 
till  a  church  was  organized,  which  he  relinquished  to  Mr.  William- 
son ;  and  then  at  Mallard  Creek  till  a  church  was  organized  there. 
In  1805  he  opened  a  classical  school,  which  he  carried  on  for  years 
with  the  approbation  of  Presbytery,  as  expressed  on  their  minutes. 

His  second  wife  was  a  daughter  of  Robert  Lindsay,  of  Guilford, 
who  bore  him  nine  children. 

Of  great  self-command,  clear  in  his  conception  of  truth,  and  plain 
in  his  enunciation  both  in  style  and  manner,  amiable  in  his  dispo- 
sition and  manners,  kind  from  his  natural  feelings,  and  from,  the 
benevolence  of  the  gospel  he  loved  and  preached,  a  lover  of  the 
truth,  he  passed  his  whole  ministerial  life,  after  his  ordination,  in 
connection  with  the  prominent  congregation  that  had  called  him  to 
be  pastor.  His  modesty  and  mildness  might  have  led  an  inexperi- 
enced or  hasty  enemy  to  suppose  that  he  might  be  easily  turned 
from  his  purpose,  or  driven  to  silence  by  vehement,  clamorous  oppo- 
nents. But  the  manner  in  which  he  met  opposition,  so  kind  and 
yet  so  entirely  unflinching,  so  willing  to  do  justice  to  his  opponents, 
and  so  devoted  to  the  cause  of  truth  and  righteousness,  made  all 
friends  feel  that  any  cause  was  safe  in  his  hands;  and  his 
enemies,  that  it  was  easier  to  attack  him  than  to  drive  him  from  his 
position,  or  come  off  honorably  from  the  contest. 

In  the  infidel  controversy  which  came  upon  him  soon  after  his 
settlement,  men  learned  to  love  him,  even  if  unconvinced  by  his  ar-> 


196  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

guments.  And  when  he  was  harshly  charged,  because  he  would  not 
yield  his  own  pulpit  and  his  long  accustomed  hour  of  preaching  to 
his  people,  for  the  purpose  of  permitting  efforts  to  be  made  to  divide 
his  congregation,  the  perfect  coolness  and  unwavering  resolution 
with  which  he  met  the  assault,  tempered  the  storm  to  a  harmless 
breeze.  He  had  enough  of  the  cool  and  calm  resolution  of  his 
father,  David  Caldwell,  of  Guilford,  the  sixth  minister  in  Carolina, 
to  make  him  immoveable,  when  he  felt  convinced ;  and  enough  of 
the  warm  heart  and  ardent  piety  of  his  mother,  the  daughter  of 
Craio-head,  to  make  him  both  lovely  and  beloved. 

Hall  of  Iredell  came  down  like  a  torrent,  a  storm,  a  tempest  j 
his  friend  Wilson,  of  Rocky  River,  poured  out  his  common  sense 
views  of  gospel  truth  like  a  steady  day's  rain;  his  neighbor  and  inti- 
mate Robinson,  of  Poplar  Tent,  was  like  a  summer  day  with  a  storm 
of  lightning  and  thunder  rending  the  oaks ;  Wallis,  of  Providence,, 
like  a  hot  sun  that  melted  by  its  direct  rays ;  while  Caldwell,  of 
Sugar  Creek,  was  like  the  sunshine  and  showers  of  April.  His 
people  loved  him;  and  felt  they  could  do  nothing  else.  The 
memory  of  the  righteous  is  blessed. 

His  epitaph  was  drawn  up  by  his  friend  Wilson,  of  Rocky  River. 

Sacred 

to  the  memory  of  the  late 

Rev.  Samuel,  C.  Caldwell, 

who  departed  this  life 

Oct.  3d,  1S2G, 

in  the  59th  year  of  his  age, 

and  the  35th  of  his  pastoral 

office  of  Sugar  Creek  Congregation. 

His  long  and  harmonious  continuance 

in  that  relation 

is  his  best  Eulogium. 

The  Rev.  Hall  Morrison,  his  successor,  became  the  pastor  of  the 
church  in  1827,  and  continued  for  ten  years,  preaching  a  fourth  part 
of  his  time  in  Charlotte-town.  In  1837,  he  was  removed  to  the 
Presidential  chair  of  Davidson  College. 

•  His  successor  was  John  M.  M.  Caldwell,  the  son  of  S.  C.  Caldwell 
and  Abigail  Bane  Alexander,  who  resigned  his  office  in  1845,  and 
removed  to  Georgia.  A  younger  son  is  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in 
South  Carolina.  Who  shall  say  that  the  covenant  of  Gcd  is  not  vi- 
sited from  the  fathers  to  the  children,  in  the  infinite  mercy  of  God  ? 

Step  a  little  further  into  the  middle  of  the  yard,  under  the  shade 
of  these  old  oaks,  and  you  may  read  on  an  humble  stone,  the  name 
of  one  that  will  never  be  forgotten  in  Carolina,  the  Chairman  of 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  197 

the  Convention  of  1775,  and  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety 
that  succeeded,  and  an  elder  of  the  church. 

Abraham  Alexander, 

died  April  23d,  1786, 

Aged  03  years. 

"  Let  me  die  the  death  of  the 

Righteous,  and  let  my  last 
end  be  like  his." 


That  he  was  a  leading  magistrate  of  the  county,  will  be  seen,  by 
inspecting  the  records  of  the  court  of  Mecklenburg,  now  in  the 
clerk's  office  in  Charlotte,  the  county  seat. 

As  you  look  round  upon  the  numerous  headstones,  you  perceive 
that  the  Alexander  family  must  have  been  very  numerous  in  the 
time  of  the  Revolution,  and  since,  in  Mecklenburg.  Of  the  same 
original  stock,  they  were  of  different  degrees  of  consanguinity. 
The  tradition  of  their  emigration  from  Ireland  to  America  is  sin- 
gular. Among  the, emigrations  from  Scotland  to  Ireland,  and  from 
Ireland  to  Scotland,  during  the  period  intervening  1610  and  1688, 
to  which  the  Presbyterians  were  driven  as  the  means  of  escape 
from  persecution  for  conscience  sake,  there  was  one  to  Ireland,  in 
which  seven  brothers  of  the  name  of  Alexander  formed  part.  Un- 
able to  endure  the  harassing  interference  which  became  more  and 
more  grievous  the  few  years  preceding  the  Revolution  in  1688, 
many  of  the  ministers  being  put  in  prison  for  holding  a  fast,  and 
the  private  members  of  the  church  suffering  oppressions  equally 
intolerable,  they  turned  their  eyes  to  America.  A  plan  was 
formed  for  their  transportation  to  the  New  World.  On  the  eve 
of  their  departure,  they  sent  to  Scotland  for  their  old  preacher,  to 
baptize  their  children,  and  administer  the  consolations  of  the  gospel. 
The  minister,  a  faithful  and  fearless  man,  came  ;  the  families  and 
their  effects  were  embarked,  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel  were  ad- 
ministered in  quietness,  on  board  the  vessel,  and  with  a  solemnity 
becoming  the  occasion.  An  armed  company,  that  had  been  prowling 
about,  came  on  board,  broke  up  the  company,  and  lodged  the  minis- 
ter in  gaol.  Towards  night,  the  old  matron,  who  had  been  piously 
covenanting  for  her  grand-children,  addressed  the  alarmed  com- 
pany, "  Men,  gang  ye  awa',  tak  our  minister  out  o'  the  jail,  and 
tak  him,  good  soule,  with  us  to  Ameriky."  Her  voice  had  never 
been  disobeyed.  Before  morning,  the  minister  was  on  board,  and 
the  vessel  out  of  the  harbor.  Having  no  family,  the  minister 
cheerfully  proceeded  on  the  voyage,  and  with  many  prayers  and 


198  SKETCHES  OP  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

thanksgivings,  they  were  landed  on  the  island  of  Manhattan,  where 
the  city  of  New  York  now  stands.  Part  of  the  company  remained 
on  Manhattan,  and  one  of  their  descendants,  William  Alexander, 
was  known  in  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  a  Major-General  in  the 
American  service,  and  commonly  called  Lord  Sterling,  having  suc- 
ceeded to  an  estate  and  the  title.  The  others  took  up  their  abode 
for  a  time  in  Jersey,  and  then  removed  to  Pennsylvania.  There  they 
intermarried,  and  mingled  with  their  countrymen,  and  their  de- 
scendants, in  great  numbers,  emigrated  to  the  Catawba. 

Families  by  the  name  of  Alexander  were  the  most  numerous  in 
Mecklenburg  at  the  time  of  the  Revolution ;  next  to  them  was  the 
Harris  connexion ;  these  two,  with  their  kindred,  embraced  at  that 
time  about  one-third  of  the  county. 

The  log  meeting-house  that  stood  here,  whose  foundations  you 
may  in  part  see,  the  second  occupied  by  the  congregation  that  now 
worship  in  that  brick  house,  was  the  place  of  worship  while  Mrs. 
Jackson,  and  her  son,  Andrew,  made  Sugar  Creek  their  refuge. 
The  widow,  an  emigrant  from  Ireland,  had  buried  her  husband  on 
the  Waxhaw,  then  claimed  by  North  Carolina,  but  now  within  the 
settled  bounds  of  South  Carolina,  and,  compelled  by  the  sufferings  of 
war,  had  fled  for  refuge  to  Mecklenburg. 

After  the  fall  of  Charleston,  the  British  army  spread  out  over 
the  country.  Col.  Buford,  from  Bedford,  Virginia,  moving  along 
the  Waxhaw,  as  he  supposed,  out  of  danger,  was  suddenly  set  upon 
by  Tarleton,  who  had  been  upon  his  trail.  The  soldiers  were  pre- 
paring their  breakfast,  and  as  the  British  came  in  sight,  there  was 
much  discussion  whether  they  should  fight  a  superior  force,  or 
abandon  the  field  to  the  enemy.  It  was  finally  resolved  to  fight  it 
out  to  the  last,  by  the  determined  course  of  Capt.  Wallace,  from 
Rockbridge,  Virginia.  Tarleton,  in  his  account  of  the  battle,  says, 
that  he  sent  a  flag,  and  proposed  a  surrender  ;  that,  finally,  the  ne- 
gotiation was  broken  off  by  the  two  following  communications  : 

1st.  From  Tarleton  to  Buford.     May  29th,'  1780. 

[After  making  preparations  for  BuforoVs  surrender  in  five 
articles,  which,  he  said,  could  not  be  repeated.}  "  If  you  are  rash 
enough  to  reject  them,  the  blood  be  upon  your  head." 

2d.  The  laconic  reply  of  Buford.     Waxhaw,  May  29th,  1780. 

"  Sir, — I  reject  your  proposals,  and  shall  defend  myself  to  the 
last  extremity. 

"  I  have  the  honor  to  be, 

"  Alex.  Buford,  Col." 

The  event  of  the  battle  is  well  known.     Before  night,  the  Wax- 


CHURCH    OF    SUGAR    CREEK.  109 

haw  meeting-house  was  a  hospital,  and  Bufortl's  regiment  killed, 
wounded,  or  dispersed.  The  females  and  children  fled  to  escape 
the  ravaging  track  of  the  relentless  enemy.  Mrs.  Jackson  took  up 
her  abode  with  her  two  children,  in  Sugar  Creek  congregation, 
with  widow  Wilson,  and  remained  a  part  of  the  summer. 

This  brave  woman,  and  two  of  her  sons,  perished  in  the  war,  and 
left  her  youngest  son  a  solitary  member  of  the  family.  Her  death 
was  occasioned  by  a  fever,  brought  on  by  a  visit  to  Charleston,  to 
carry  necessaries  to  some  friends  and  relations  on  board  the  prison- 
ship,  whose  deplorable  sufferings,  she,  with  four  or  five  other  ladies, 
was  permitted  to  relieve.  On  her  way  home,  she  was  seized  with 
the  prison  fever,  and  soon  ended  her  days.  Somewhere  between 
what  was  then  called  "  Quarter-house"  and  the  city  of  Charleston 
is  her  unknown  grave. 

Men  have  often  wondered  how  her  son  Andrew,  in  his  most 
thoughtless  days,  always  treated  a  faithful  minister  of  the  gospel  so 
respectfully  ;  and  why,  after  encouraging  his  wife  in  a  religious  life, 
he  himself  should,  in  his  age,  become  a  member  of  the  Presbyterian 
church.  The  cause  is  found  laid  deep  in  his  childhood.  His  mother 
was  a  member  of  the  Waxhaw  congregation,  and  he  had  seen  and 
felt  the  influence  of  faithful  ministers  when  a  child. 

Turning  towards  the  middle  of  the  yard,  you  may  read  the  simple 
memorial  of  Mrs.  Flinn,  the  widowed  mother  of  the  Rev.  Andrew 
Flinn,  D.D.,  who  held  an  eminent  place  among  the  clergy  of  North 
and  South  Carolina,  whose  childhood  was  passed  in  Sugar  Creek. 

Along  this  great  road  that  passes  this  yard  and  house,  the  British 
forces  pursued  the  armed  band  that  had  been  collected  for  the  tem- 
porary defence  of  Charlotte ;  and  a  little  beyond  that  hill,  fell 
Major  Locke,  and  a  little  further  on,  Graham  was  wounded.  Near 
by,  lives  Aunt  Susy,  who,  with  her  mother,  watched  and  trembled 
over  him  the  night  he  lay  exhausted  after  that  sad  day's  encounter, 
wrhen,  as  the  British  historian  says,  "  that  company  of  horsemen  be- 
hind the  Court-house,  kept  in  check  the  whole  British  army." 


200  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

HOPEWELL,  AND  THE  RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION. 

Ten  miles  west  from  Davidson  College,  and  two  east  from  the 
Catawba  River,  in  Mecklenburg  county,  stands  Hopewell  church. 
Entering  near  the  northwest  corner,  on  the  north  side  of  the  bury- 
ing ground  which  lies  a  little  south  of  the  church,  and  going 
diagonally  to  the  middle  of  the  yard,  you  will  find  a  low  grave- 
stone, on  the  top  of  which  are  sculptured  two  drawn  swords,  and 
beneath  them  the  motto,  Anna  Libertatis.     The  inscription  is — 

In 

Memory 

of 

Francis  Bradley, 

A  friend  of  his  country, 

and  privately  slain 

by  the  enemies  of  his 

country,  Nov.  14th, 

1780,  aged  37  years. 

Tradition  says  that  this  man  was  the  largest  and  stoutest  man  in 
the  country — hated  by  the  few  tories — and  much  desired  as  a 
prisoner  by  the  British  officers,  for  the  activity  and  energy  with 
which  he  harassed  their  scouts  and  foraging  parties,  and  the  fatal 
aim  of  his  gun  in  taking  off  their  sentries,  particularly  while  the 
army  lay  at  Charlotte. 

On  the  day  of  his  death,  seeing  four  tories  lurking  near  his 
house,  he  took  his  gun  and  went  to  capture  them,  or  drive  them 
from  his  neighborhood.  A  scuffle  ensued,  in  which  one  of  the 
tories  succeeded  in  wresting  his  gun  from  his  hand,  and  with  it 
gave  him  a  fatal  wound. 

Near  by  this  stone  you  may  observe  a  brick  wall  about  six  feet 
long,  and  two  feet  high,  without  any  inscription  :  that  is  upon  the 
grave  of  General  Davidson,  who  fell  by  the  rifle-shot  of  a  tory, 
at  Cowan's  Ferry,  a  few  miles  distant  from  this  place,  as  he  was 
resisting  the  crossing  of  the  British  army,  in  1781,  when  Morgan 
and  Green  were  conveying  the  prisoners,  taken  at  the  Cowpens, 
to  Virginia,  for  safe  keeping.     After  the  army  of  the  enemy  had 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  201 

passed  on,  his  friend  Captain  Wilson,  whose  grave  is  near  by, 
found  him  plundered  and  stripped  of  every  garment ;  laying  him 
across  his  horse,  he  brought  him  hastily  by  night  to  this  place  of 
sepulture. 

Congress  voted  a  monument  to  this  man — most  beloved  in  his 
county — a  sacrifice  to  the  public  welfare.  But  the  resolution  has 
slept  on  the  records  of  the  Congress, — and  the  grave  of  the 
general  is  without  an  inscription. 

The  college,  patronized  by  his  children  and  friends,  bears  his 
name,  and  is  rising  in  usefulness  and  reputation. 

By  the  east  wall  is  a  row  of  marble  slabs,  all  bearing  the  name 
of  Alexander.     On  one  is  this  short  inscription  : — 

John  McKnitt  Alexander, 

who  departed  this  life  July  10th,  1817. 

Aged  84. 

This  is  upon  the  grave  of  the  Secretary  of  the  Convention  in 
Charlotte,  in  1775.     By  his  side  rests  his  wife,  Jane  Bane. 

At  a  little  distance  southwardly  is  the  grave  of  the  late  pastor 
of  this  congregation,  John  Williamson. 

Ephraim  Brevard,  the  penman  of  the  Declaration,  and  Hezekiah 
Alexander,  the  clearest-headed  magistrate  of  the  county,  sleep  in 
this  yard  in  unknown  graves. 

Hopewell  and  Sugar  Creek  are  cotemporaries  in  point  of  settle- 
ment, though,  in  church  organization,  Sugar  Creek  has  the  pre- 
eminence. The  families  were  from  the  same  original  stock  in 
the  North  of  Ireland  ;  some  were  born  in  Pennsylvania,  and  some 
only  sojourned  there  for  a  time  ;  they  were  connected  by  affinity 
and  consanguinity  ;  and  more  closely  united  by  mutual  exposures 
in  the  wilderness,  and  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel,  which  were 
highly  prized. 

Scattered  settlements  were  made  along  the  Catawba,  from 
Beattie's  to  Mason's  Ford,  some  time  before  the  country  became 
the  object  of  emigration  to  any  considerable  extent,  probably  about 
the  year  1740.  As  the  extent  and  fertility  of  the  beautiful  prairies 
became  known,  the  Scotch-Irish,  seeking  for  settlements,  began 
to  follow  the  traders'  path,  and  join  the  adventurers  in  this  south- 
ern and  western  frontier.  By  1745,  the  settlements,  in  what  is 
now  Mecklenburg  and  Cabarrus  counties,  were  numerous  ;  and 
about  1750,  and  onward  for  a  few  years,  the  settlements  grew 
dense  for  a  frontier,  and  were  uniting   themselves  into  congrega- 


202  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

tions,  for  the  purpose  of  enjoying  the  ministrations  of  the  gospel 
in  the  Presbyterial  form.  The  foundations  for  Sugar  Creek, 
Hopewell,  Steel  Creek,  New  Providence,  Poplar  Tent,  Rocky 
River  Centre,  and  Thyatira,  were  laid  almost  simultaneously  : 
Rocky  River  was  most  successful  in  obtaining  a  settled  pastor. 
The  others  received  the  church  organization  and  bounds  during 
the  visit  of  Rev.  Messrs.  McWhorter  and  Spencer,  sent  by  the 
Synod  of  Philadelphia  for  that  purpose,  in  the  year  1764.  Mis- 
sionaries began  to  traverse  the  country  very  early,  sent  out  by 
the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  different  Presbyteries  of  New 
Brunswick,  New  Castle,  and  Donegal. 

The  enterprising  settlers,  inured  to  toil,  were  hardy  and  long 
lived.  The  constitutions  that  grew  up  in  Irelard  and  Pennsylva- 
nia seemed  to  gather  strength  and  suppleness  from  the  warm  cli- 
mate and  fertile  soil  of  their  new  abodes.  Most  of  the  settlers 
lived  long  enough  to  witness  the  dawning  of  that  prosperity  that 
awaited  their  children.  They  sought  the  union  of  liberty,  and 
property,  and  religious  privilege  for  their  posterity.  Year  after 
year  were  "  supplications  "  sent  to  Pennsylvania  and  Jersey  for 
ministers,  or  missionaries,  and  effort  after  effort  was  made  to  re- 
tain these  visitors  as  settled  pastors,  but  all  in  vain,  previously  to 
1756  ;  when  the  troubles  from  the  Indian  war,  called  Braddock's 
war,  united  with  the  wishes  of  the  people,  and  three  Presbyterian 
ministers  were  settled  in  Carolina  in  that  year,  or  preparations 
were  made  for  their  settlement — Craighead,  and  M'Aden,  and 
Campbell.  Those  were  days  of  log  cabins  and  plain  fare,  when 
carriages  were  unknown,  and  the  sight  of  wheels  was  an  era  in  the 
settlements.  "  That  man  was  the  first  that  crossed  the  Yadkin 
with  wheels,"  designated  the  man  in  whose  house  the  first  court  in 
Mecklenburg  was  held. 

"  Times  are  greatly  altered,"  said  old  Mr.  Alexander  some 
thirty  years  ago,  on  a  summer  evening,  to  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Flinn,  D.D.,  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  who  came  to  visit  his 
venerated  benefactor,  in  his  carriage,  with  his  wife  and  servants, 
"  times  are  greatly  altered,  Andy,  since  you  went  to  college  in 
your  tow  cloth  pantaloons,"  said  the  old  man,  with  a  welcome  of 
gladness  mingled  with  fear,  lest  the  simplicity  of  his  youth  had 
been  perverted  in  that  flourishing  city. 

And  times  were  greatly  altered  with  both,  since  their  youth, 
when  the  one  came  to  Mecklenburg  just  "  out  of  his  time,"  and 
the  other  left  his  widowed  mother  under  the  patronage  of  his 
friend,  to  enter  upon  a  college  life.     Both  commenced  life  in  hon 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  203 

orable  poverty, — both  were  enterprising  in  a  young  country, — and 
both  were  eminently  successful  in  that  course  of  life  in  which 
choice,  and  providential  circumstances,  had  led  them  to  put  forth 
their  strength. 

John  McKnitt  Alexander,  descended  from  Scotch-Irish  ances- 
tors, was  born  in  Pennsylvania,  near  the  Maryland  line,  in  1733. 
Having  served  his  apprenticeship  to  the  tailor's  trade,  he  followed 
the  tide  of  his  kinsmen  and  countrymen,  who  were  then  seeking 
an  abode  beyond  the  Yadkin,  in  the  pastures  of  the  deer  and  buf- 
falo. The  emigrants,  a  church-going  and  church-loving  people 
in  the  "  green  isle,"  carried  to  their  new  home  all  the  habits  and 
manners  of  their  mother,  the  wild  and  strange  residence  fn  Caro- 
lina permitted.  A  church-going  people  are  a  dress-loving  people. 
The  sanctity  and  decorum  of  the  house  of  God  are  inseparably 
associated  with  a  decent  exterior  ;  and  the  spiritual,  heavenly  ex- 
ercises of  the  inner  man  are  incompatible  with  a  defiled  and  tat- 
tered, or  slovenly  mein.  All  regular  Christian  assemblies  culti- 
vate a  taste  for  dress,  and  none  more  so  than  the  hardy  pioneer 
settlers  of  Upper  Carolina,  and  the  valley  and  mountains  of  Vir- 
ginia. In  their  approach  to  the  King  of  Kings,  in  company  with 
their  neighbors,  the  men,  resting  from  their  labors,  washed  their 
hands  and  shaved  their  faces,  and  put  on  their  best  and  carefully 
preserved  dress.  Their  wives  and  daughters,  attired  in  their  best, 
as  they  assembled  at  the  place  of  worship,  were  the  more  lovely 
in  the  sight  of  their  friends.  The  privations  of  the  new  settle- 
ment were  for  a  time  forgotten  ;  and  the  greetings  at  the  place  of 
assemblage,  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  or  whenever  they  could 
assemble  to  hear  the  gospel,  spoke  the  commingled  feelings  of 
friendship  and  religion. 

The  young  tailor  knew  the  spirit  of  his  countrymen,  and  came 
to  seek  his  fortune  with  the  poor,  but  spirited  and  enterprising  peo- 
ple. Few  of  them  had  much  money,  and  many  of  them  had  none. 
In  paying  for  their  lands,  the  skins  of  the  deer  and  buffalo  that 
had  fed  them,  were  taken  on  pack-horses  to  Charleston  and  Phila- 
delphia, as  the  most  ready  means  of  obtaining  the  necessary  funds. 
Years  necessarily  passed  before  the  cattle  and  horses  they  took 
with  them  to  the  wild  pastures  were  multiplied  sufficiently  for 
home  consumption  or  for  traffic  ;  about  the  time  of  the  Revolution- 
ary war,  they  constituted  the  available  means,  the  wealth  of  the 
country,  as  cotton  has  been  in  years  past. 

The  young  man  brought  his  ready  made  clothes,  and  cloths  to 
be  made  to  order,  and  trafficked  with  his  countrymen,  transporting 


204  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

his  peltry  on  horseback  to  the  city,  and  returning  with  a  fresh  sup- 
ply of  goods,  till  the  droves  of  cattle  and  horses  taken  to  the  mar- 
kets, supplied  the  inhabitants  with  silver  and  gold  for  their  neces- 
sary uses.  In  about  five  years,  in  the  year  1759,  he  married  Jane 
Bane,  from  Pennsylvania,  of  the  same  race  with  himself,  and 
settled  in  Hopewell  congregation.  His  permanent  abode  has  been 
known  by  the  name  of  Alexandriana.  Prospered  in  his  business, 
he  soon  became  wealthy,  and  an  extensive  landholder,  and  rising 
in  the  estimation  of  his  fellow  citizens,  was  promoted  to  the  ma- 
gistracy, and  the  eldership  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  only 
church  between  the  two  rivers.  Shrewd,  enterprising,  and  suc- 
cessful, a  man  of  principle  and  inspiring  respect, — in  less  than 
twenty  years  from  his  first  crossing  the  Yadkin,  he  was  agitating 
with  his  fellow  citizens  of  Mecklenburg,  the  rights  of  persons,  of 
property,  and  conscience, — and  resisting  the  encroachments  of  the 
king,  through  his  unprincipled  and  tyrannical  officers,  that  oppress- 
ed, without  fear  and  without  restraint,  the  inhabitants  of  Upper 
North  Carolina. 

In  less  than  one  quarter  of  a  century  after  the  first  permanent 
settlement  was  formed  in  Mecklenburg,  men  talked  of  defending 
their  rights,  not  against  the  Indians,  but  the  officers  of  the  crown ; 
and  took  those  measures  that  eventuated  in  the  Convention  of 
May  20th,  1775,  to  deliberate  on  the  crisis  of  their  affairs.  Of  the 
persons  chosen  to  meet  in  that  assembly,  one  was  a  Presbyterian 
minister,  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  of  Poplar  Tent ;  seven  were 
known  to  be  Elders  of  the  Church — Abraham  Alexander,  of  Su- 
gar Creek,  John  McKnitt  Alexander  and  Hezekiah  Alexander,  of 
Hopewell,  David  Reese,  of  Poplar  Tent,  Adam  Alexander  and 
Robert  Queary,  of  Rocky  River  (now  in  the  bounds  of  Philadel- 
phia), and  Robert  Irwin,  of  Steel  Creek  ;  two  others  were  elders, 
but  in  the  deficiency  of  church  records,  their  names  not  known 
with  certainty,  but  the  report  of  tradition  is,  without  variation, 
that  nine  of  the  members  were  elders,  and  the  other  two  are  sup- 
posed to  have  been  Ephraim  Brevard  and  John  Pfifer.  Thus  ten 
out  of  the  twenty-seven  were  office-bearers  in  the  church  ;  and 
all  were  connected  with  the  congregations  of  the  Presbyteries  in 
Mecklenburg. 

The  Declaration  issued  by  this  Convention  is  the  admiration  of 
the  present  generation,  and  will  be  of  generations  to  the  end  of 
time, — the  first  Declaration  of  Independence  in  North 
America.  At  a  hasty  view,  this  declaration  made  by  a  colony  on 
the  western  frontier  of  an  American  province,  may  seem  rash  and 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  205 

unreasonable  ;  but  when  the  race  and  the  creed  of  the  people,  and 
their  habits,  arc  taken  into  consideration,  we  wonder  at  their  for- 
bearance ;  this  classic  declaration  expressed  a  deep  settled  pur- 
pose, which  the  ravages  of  the  British  army,  in  succeeding  years, 
could  not  shake. 

Neither  the  Congress  vf  the  United  Provinces,  then  in  session, 
nor  the  Congress  of  the  Province  of  North  Carolina,  which  assem- 
bled in  August  of  the  same  year,  were  prepared  to  second  the  de- 
claration of  Mecklenburg  ;  though  the  latter  appointed  committees 
of  safety  in  all  the  counties,  similar  to  the  committee  in  Mecklen- 
burg. The  papers  of  the  Convention  were  preserved  by  the 
secretary,  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  till  the  year  1800,  when  they 
were  destroyed,  with  his  dwelling,  by  fire.  But  the  Rev.  Hum- 
phrey Hunter  and  General  Graham,  who  both  had  heard  the  Decla- 
ration read  on  the  20th  of  May,  1775,  had  obtained  copies,  which 
have  been  preserved,  and  Mr.  \lexander  gave  one  himself  to  Ge- 
neral Davie  some  time  previously  to  the  fire. 

Judge  Cameron,  of  Raleigh,  President  of  the  State  Bank,  who 
was  for  many  years  a  practising  lawyer  in  the  Salisbury  District, 
and  afterwards  a  judge,  says  that  he  was  well  acquainted  with 
Mr.  Alexander,  who  was  frequently  brought  to  court  as  a  witness 
in  land  cases,  having  been  for  many  years  a  crown  surveyor  in 
Mecklenburg.  There  was  little  regularity  in  taking  up  lands  ;  and 
claims  were  found  to  clash,  and  frequent  lawsuits  were  the  conse- 
quence, and  Mr.  Alexander  was  appealed  to  for  bounds  and  lines. 
Being  a  sensible  and  social,  dignified  man,  an  acquaintance  com- 
menced which  was  ended  only  by  the  death  of  Mr.  Alexander. 
The  Judge  says  that  the  matters  of  a  revolutionary  nature  were 
frequently  the  subject  of  conversation ;  and  among  others,  the  cir- 
cumstances of  the  Declaration.  Some  time  after  the  fire  that  con- 
sumed Mr.  Alexander's  dwelling  and  many  of  his  valuable  papers, 
he  met  the  old  man  in  Salisbury.  Referring  to  the  fire,  Mr.  Alex- 
ander lamented  the  loss  of  the  original  copy  of  that  document,  but 
•consoled  himself  by  saying,  that  he  had  himself  given  a  copy  to 
General  Davie  some  time  before,  which  he  knew  to  be  correct ; 
so,  says  he,  "  the  document  is  safe."  That  copy  is  in  the  hands  of 
the  present  governor  of  North  Carolina ;  and  is  in  part  the  author- 
ity for  the  copy  given  in  the  first  chapter  of  this  work.  The 
copies  of  Hunter  and  Graham  rest  upon  the  honor  of  those  two 
unimpeachable  men.  Happily,  they  entirely  agree  with  the  copy 
given  to  General  Davie,  as  far  as  that  has  been  preserved. 

The  last  interview  the  Judge  had  with  Mr.  Alexander  was  in 


20G  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Salisbury.  Nearly  blind  with  age  and  infirm,  he  was  brought  down 
to  the  court  as  an  evidence  in  a  land  case.  The  venerable  old 
man  sat  in  the  bar-room,  listening  to  the  voices  of  the  compaity, 
as  they  came  in.  "  Is  that  you,  Cameron?"  said  he,  as  the  sound 
of  his  voice  fell  upon  his  ear,  "  I  know  that  voice,  though  I  cannot 
well  see  the  man."  Infirm,  he  was  dignified :  with  white  hair 
and  almost  sightless  eyes,  his  mental  powers  remained.  The 
past  and  the  future  were  to  him  more  than  the  present;  in  the  one 
he  had  acted  his  part  Avell,  in  the  other  he  had  hope  ;  but  the  pre- 
sent had  lost  its  beauty.  He  recounted,  in  the  course  of  the  inter- 
views he  had  with  the  Judge,  during  the  intervals  of  court,  the 
events  of  the  Revolution,  particularly  those  in  which  Mecklenburg 
took  the  lead,  and  referred  to  the  copy  of  the  Declaration  he  had 
given  to  Davie  as  being  certainly  correct. 

Mr.  Alexander,  as  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  was 
frequently  appointed  by  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  during  the 
twenty-four  years  the  two  States  were  associated  ecclesiastically, 
on  important  business  for  the  Synod,  and  for  a  number  of  years 
was  its  treasurer.  Of  undoubted  honesty,  and  unquestioned  reli- 
gion, he  finished  his  earthly  existence  at  the  advanced  age  of  four- 
score and  one  years. 

The  reason  for  the  obscurity  in  which  the  proceedings  of  the 
Convention  in  Charlotte  were  for  a  time  buried  may  be  found  in 
the  facts, — first,  the  county  in  which  they  took  place  was  far 
removed  from  any  large  seaport,  or  trading  city ;  was  a  frontier, 
rich  in  soil,  and  productions,  and  men,  but  poor  in  money, — with 
no  person  that  had  attracted  public  notice,  like  the  Lees  and  Henry, 
of  Virginia,  for  eloquence, — or  like  Ashe,  of  their  own  distant  sea- 
board, for  bravery, — or  like  Hancock,  of  Massachusetts,  for  dignity 
in  a  public  assembly, — or  Jefferson,  for  political  acumen :  and, 
second,  the  National  Declaration  in  1776,  with  the  war  that 
followed,  so  completely  absorbed  the  minds  of  the  whole  nation, 
that  efforts  of  the  few,  however  patriotic,  were  cast  into  the  shade. 
In  the  joy  of  National  Independence,  the  particular  part  any  man, 
or  body  of  men,  may  have  acted,  was  overlooked  ;  and  in  the 
bright  scenes  spread  out  before  a  young  Republic,  the  Colonial 
politics  shared  the  fate  of  the  soldiers  and  officers  that  bore  the 
fatigues  and  endured  the  miseries  of  the  seven  years'  war.  Men 
were  too  eager  to  enjoy  Liberty,  and  push  their  speculations  to 
become  rich,  to  estimate  the  worth  of  those  patriots,  whose  history 
will  be  better  known  by  the  next  generation,  and  whose  honors 
will  be  duly  appreciated. 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  207 

Some  publications  were  made  on  this  subject  in  the  Raleigh 
Register  in  1819,  and  for  a  time  public  attention  was  drawn  to  the 
subject  in  different  parts  of  the  country.  About  the  year  1830, 
some  publications  were  made,  calling  in  question  the  authenticity 
of  the  document,  as  being  neither  a  true  paper,  nor  a  paper  of  a  true 
convention.  Dr.  Joseph  McKnitt  Alexander,  inheriting  the  resi- 
dence, and  much  of  the  spirit  of  his  father,  the  secretary,  felt 
himself  moved  to  defend  the  honor  of  his  parent,  and  the  noble 
men  that  were  associated  in  the  county  of  Mecklenburg.  Letters 
were  addressed  to  different  individuals  who  either  had  taken  a  part 
in  the  spirited  transactions  of  1775,  or  had  been  spectators  of  those 
scenes  that  far  outstripped  in  patriotic  daring  the  State  at  large, 
or  even  the  Congress  assembled,  in  Philadelphia.  The  attention 
of  all  the  survivors  of  Revolutionary  times  was  awaked  ;  their 
feelings  were  aroused ;  and  they  came  on  all  sides  to  the  rescue 
of  those  men  who  had  pledged  "  their  lives,  their  fortunes,  and 
their  most  sacred  honor.'''' 

The  Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter,  who  had  preached  in  Steel  Creek 
many  years,  within  a  few  miles  of  Charlotte,  and  for  a  number  of 
years  in  Unity  and  Goshen,  in  Lincoln,  a  short  distance  from  the 
residence  of  Mr.  Alexander,  sent  to  the  son  a  copy  of  the  Decla- 
ration, together  with  a  history  of  the  Convention,  of  which  he  was 
an  eye-witness.  General  Graham,  who  had  grown  up  near 
Charlotte,  had  been  high-sheriff  of  the  county,  and  was  an  actor  in 
the  Revolution,  and  an  eye-witness  of  the  Convention,  did  the 
same.  From  their  accounts,  the  historical  relation  in  the  first 
chapter  of  this  volume  was  taken.  Captain  Jack,  who  carried  the 
declaration  to  Philadelphia,  gave  his  solemn  asservation  of  the 
facts,  as  an  eye-witness  of  the  Convention,  and  as  its  messenger  to 
Congress.  John  Davidson,  a  member  of  the  Convention,  gave  his 
solemn  testimony,  writing  from  memory,  and  not  presenting  any 
copy  of  the  doings,  but  asserting  the  facts  and  general  principles 
of  the  Convention.  The  Rev.  Dr.  Cummins,  who  had  been 
educated  at  Queen's  Museum,  in  Charlotte,  and  was  a  student  at 
the  time  of  the  Convention,  affirmed,  that  repeated  meetings  were 
held  in  the  hall  of  Queen's  Museum,  by  the  leading  men  in  Meck- 
lenburg, discussing  the  business  to  be  brought  before  the  conven- 
tion when  assembled.  Colonel  Polk,  of  Raleigh,  who  was  a 
youth  at  the  time,  and  who  repeatedly  read  over  the  paper  to 
different  circles  on  that  interesting  occasion,  affirmed  and  defended 
the  doings  of  his  father,  at  whose  call,  by  unanimous  consent,  the 
delegates  assembled.     Many,  less  known  to  the  public,  sent  their 


208  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

recollections  of  the  events  of  19th  and  20th  of  May.  A  file  of 
New  York  papers,  published  during  the  Revolution,  gives  the 
declaration  and  doings  of  May  30th,  in  which  independence  is 
asserted  in  language  as  strong  as  in  the  paper  of  the  20th,  and  the 
civil  government  of  Mecklenburg  was  arraigned,  a  government 
that  was  paramount  till  after  the  meeting  of  the  first  North  Caro- 
lina Provincial  Congress.  A  file  of  Massachusetts  papers,  printed 
at  the  same  time,  gives  the  same  documents.  Relying  on  these 
affirmations  and  documents,  the  son  rested  securely  for  his  father's 
honor,  and  the  honest  fame  of  his  compeers.  By  the  order  of  the 
legislature  of  North  Carolina,  these  facts  and  assertions  were  made 
a  public  document.  There  remains  not  a  man  at  this  day,  who 
saw  the  assembly  of  delegates  in  Mecklenburg.  Happily,  the 
son  collected  the  evidences  of  his  father's  political  honor,  before 
the  witnesses  had  all  passed  to  the  land  where  the  truth  needs  no 
such  evidence,  and  had  joined  the  band  of  immortal  patriots. 

The  names  of  the  persons  composing  the  convention,  as  given 
in  the  State  documents  collected  by  Dr.  J.  McKnitt  Alexander, 
are  as  follows  : 

Abraham  Alexander — Chairman. 
John  McKnitt  Alexander — Secretary. 
Ephraim  Brevard — Secretary. 
Rev.  Hezekiah  J.  Balch,  Charles  Alexander, 

John  Pilfer,  Zaccheus  Wilson,  jun., 

James  Harris,  Waightstill  Avery, 

William  Kcnnon,  Benjamin  Patton, 

John  Ford,  Matthew  McClure, 

Richard  Barry,  Neill  Morrison, 

Henry  Downe,  Robert  Irwin, 

Ezra  Alexander,  John  Flenniken, 

William  Graham,  David  Reese, 

John  Queary,  John  Davidson, 

Hezekiah  Alexander,  Richard  Harris,  jun., 

Adam  Alexander,  Thomas  Polk. 

In  searching  his  father's  papers  that  escaped  the  fire,  he  came 
across  another  document  of  exceeding  value,  in  the  handwriting 
of  Ephraim  Brevard,  the  draughtsman  of  the  Declaration,  giving, 
under  the  name  of  Instructions  to  the  Members  of  the  Provincial 
Congress  in  1775,  the  ideas  of  civil  and  religious  liberty  held  by 
these  patriotic  men.  This  paper  is  given  in  full  in  the  third  chap- 
ter, and  gives   an  opportunity  of  judging  whether  the  views  of 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  209 

liberty  held  by  these  have  or  have  not  had  the  sanction  of  the 
people  of  the  United  States. 

A  friend  that  knew  the  son,  gives  the  following  obituary  notice  : 
"Died,  on  the  17th  ultimo  (Nov.,  1841),  at  Alexandria,  the  time- 
honored  seat  of  his  ancestors,  in  Mecklenburg  county,  N.  C,  Dr. 
J.  McKnitt  Alexander,  in  the  67th  year  of  his  age. 

"  Dr.  Alexander  was  an  alumnus  of  Princeton  College  in  its 
palmiest  days.  He  had  early  developed  indications  of  not  only 
'genius  and  talents,  but  the  highest  attributes  of  intellect,  sound 
judgment  and  profound  thinking.  One  of  the  usages  of  the  enlight- 
ened, estimable,  and  Christian  community  in  which  he  was  reared, 
was,  that  each  family  should  educate  one  son  and  devote  him  to 
the  service  of  the  Church.  In  accordance  with  this  excellent 
usage,  it  was  determined  by  his  parents  that  the  natural  endow- 
ments of  Joseph  should  receive  the  culture  and  finish  of  a  thorough 
collegiate  education,  and  the  school  at  Princeton  was  selected  for 
the  purpose.  Here  erudition  and  science  matured  the  germs  of 
usefulness  and  distinction, which  had  in  his  boyhood  given  such  high 
promise  of  a  fruitful  harvest.  He  graduated  with  eclat,  and  re- 
turned to  his  native  home — not,  as  had  been  fondly  hoped  by  his  pious 
parents,  to  engage  in  the  study  of  divinity,  and  to  consecrate  him- 
self to  the  holy  ministry.  This,  their  cherished  expectation,  to 
their  bitter  disappointment,  was  never  realized.  He  studied 
medicine  under  a  distinguished  preceptor,  and  after  becoming 
thoroughly  indoctrinated  in  the  "JEsculapian  mysteries,''''  engaged 
in  the  practice  of  physic,  from  which  he  acquired  not  only  profes- 
sional reputation  but  wealth  and  even  affluence.  The  pure  duties 
of  humanity  imposed  upon  him  by  his  profession,  were  ever  per- 
formed with  punctuality  and  cheerfulness,  and  throughout  his  long 
life,  no  citizen  had  a  more  enviable  character  for  integrity,  public 
spirit,  and  private  virtue.  He  was  distinguished  for  his  practical 
judgment  and  plain  common  sense — a  trait  the  more  remarkable  as 
it  was  accompanied  in  him  with  the  scintillations  of  genius  and  the 
sprightliness  of  a  vigorous  imagination.  He  thought  quick,  yet 
deep  and  accurately.  What  others  found  by  pains-taking,  search 
and  tedious  investigation,  he  obtained  intuitively.  To  look  at  a 
subject  at  all,  was  to  penetrate  it  with  an  eagle's  glance,  to  touch 
was  to  dissect,  to  handle  was  to  unravel.  He  wrote  well,  yet 
his  productions  possessed  few  of  the  embellishments  of  art  and 
none  of  the  ornaments  of  style,  though  always  enlivened  and  bril- 
liant from  the  flashes  of  a  true  and  innate  eloquence." 

"Doctor  Alexander,  though  a  child  of  the  church,  and  the  son  of 

14 


210  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

the  most  exemplary  and  pious  parents,  had  passed  the  meridian 
of  life  before  he  became  a  professor  of  religion.  Does  the  pride 
of  intellect  or  the  glitter  of  human  learning  lead  us  to  doubt  the 
truth  of  divine  revelation  ?  The  avalanche  of  infidelity,  put  in 
motion  about  the  period  of  the  Doctor's  maturity  by  Montesquieu, 
Voltaire,  Diderot,  D'Alembert,  Buffon,  and  Rousseau,  threatened  to 
extinguish  the  best  hopes  of  man,  and  deluge  our  sin  ruined 
world  with  a  cold  and  cheerless  scepticism.  The  infection  of 
this  poison  may  have  temporarily  obliterated  the  lessons  of  his 
youth,  or  weakened  their  influence  upon  his  principles  ;  it  was 
never  able,  however,  to  seduce  him  from  the  paths  of  virtue.  His 
purity,  his  probity,  his  honor  remained  unscathed  by  the  lightning 
of  the  French  philosophy.  It  may  for  a  time  have  diverted  his 
attention  from  spiritual  things,  but  when  ambition  became  chas- 
tened by  age,  in  the  maturity  of  his  intellect,  and  at  a  period  of 
life  most  favorable  for  a  calm  and  deliberate  examination  of  the 
great  truths  of  the  Christian's  Bible,  and  the  Christian's  faith, 
and  the  Christian's  hope,  he  believed  that  Bible,  he  exercised  that 
faith,  he  was  animated  by  that  hope.  He  became  a  worshipper 
of  the  God  of  his  fathers,  connected  himself  with  the  Presbyterian 
church,  and  continued  through  life,  until  the  infirmities  of  old  age 
prevented,  to  be  active  in  the  promotion  of  its  interests,  in  alle- 
viating and  ameliorating  the  condition  of  men." 

"  Beyond  the  flight  of  time, 
Beyond  the  vale  of  death, 
There  surely  is  some  blessed  clime 
Where  life  is  not  a  breath." 

After  its  organization,  in  1765,  Hopewell  was  for  a  time  asso- 
ciated with  Centre  in  maintaining  the  ordinances  of  the  gospel. 
But  at  the  time  that  Rev.  S.  C.  Caldwell  was  called  to  the  church 
and  congregation  of  Sugar  Creek,  this  church  united  in  the  call, 
and  afterwards  engaged  the  pastoral  services  of  that  faithful  man, 
till  1805,  when  he  removed  from  their  bounds,  and  gave  up  the 
care  of  the  church. 

During  the  time  of  Mr.  Caldwell's  ministry,  the  two  sessions 
of  the  churches  under  his  care,  feeling  the  pressure  that  was 
upon  them,  formed  a  union  for  mutual  help.  The  following  pa- 
per reveals  the  spirit. 

"May  15th,  1793.  The  Sessions  of  Sugar  Creek  and  Hope- 
well had  a  full  meeting  on  the  central  ground,  at  Mr.  Mons.  Rob- 
inson's, and  entered  into  a  number  of  resolutions,  as  laws  for  the 
government  of  both  churches." 


RECORDS  OF  THE  CONVENTION.  2ll 


"  North  Carolina,  Mecklenburg  County 
May  5th,  1793. 


1 

"  We,  the  Sessions  of  Sugar  Creek  and  Hopewell  congrega- 
tions, having  two  separate  and  distinct  churches,  sessions  and 
other  officers  for  the  peace,  convenience,  and  well-ordering  of 
each  society,  and  all  happily  united  under  their  present  pastor, 
Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  yet  need  much  mutual  help  from  each 
other  in  regard  of  our  own  weakness  and  mutual  dependence,  and 
also  in  regard  to  our  enemies  from  without.  Therefore,  in  order 
to  make  our  union  the  more  permanent,  and  to  strengthen  each 
other's  hands  in  the  bonds  of  unity  and  Christian  friendship,  have, 
this  15th  day  of  May,  1793,  met  in  a  social  manner,  at  the  house 
of  Mons.  Robinson.  Present,  Robert  Robinson,  Sen.,  Hezekiah 
Alexander,  Win.  Alexander,  James  Robinson,  Isaac  Alexander, 
Thomas  Alexander,  and  Elijah  Alexander,  elders  in  Sugar  Creek. 
John  M'Knitt  Alexander,  Robert  Crocket,  James  Meek,  James 
Henry,  Win,  Henderson,  and  Ezekiel  Alexander,  elders  in 
Hopewell,  who,  after  discussing  generally  several  topics,  proceeded 
to  choose  Hezekiah  Alexander  chairman,  and  J.  M'Knitt  Alexan- 
der, clerk,  and  do  agree  to  the  following  resolves  and  rules,  which 
we,  each  for  himself,  promise  to  observe."  (Then  follow  five 
resolutions  respecting  the  management  of  the  congregations,  as  it 
regards  the  support  of  their  ministers,  inculcating  punctuality  and 
precision ;  and  also  respecting  a  division  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Orange  into  two  Presbyteries.) 

Then  follow  eight  permanent  laws  and  general  rules  for  each 
Session.  The  1st  concerns  the  manner  of  bringing  charges 
against  a  member  of  the  church,  that  it  "  shall  be  written  and 
signed  by  the  complainant,"  and  that  previous  to  trial,  all  mild 
means  shall  be  used  to  settle  the  matter. 

"  2d.  As  a  church  judicature  we  will  not  intermeddle  with  what 
belongs  to  the  civil  magistrate,  either  as  an  officer  of  State,  or  a 
minister  of  justice  among  the  citizens.  The  line  between  the 
church  and  state  being  so  fine,  we  know  not  how  to  draw  it,  there- 
fore we  leave  it  to  Christian  prudence  and  longer  experience  to  de- 
termine." 

The  other  resolutions  are  all  found  in  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
in  their  spirit,  in  the  rules  given  for  the  management  of  a  single 
session,  with  this  exception,  that  it  was  determined  that  in  this 
joint  session,  "  A  quorum  to  do  business  shall  not  be  less  than 
a  Moderator  and  three  Elders  ;"  and  that  in  matters  of  discipline 
there  shall  be  "  no  non  liquet  votes  permitted." 


212  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

This  union  of  the  sessions  was  productive  of  most  happy  con- 
sequences to  the  two  congregations,  particularly  during  the  strug- 
gle with  French  infidelity,  and  had  the  effect  to  preserve  the  spirit 
of  Presbyterianism,  and  of  sound  principles,  and  free  religion. 

The  elders  were  jealous  of  any  intermingling  of  Church  and 
State,  even  in  the  proceedings  of  sessions,  and  endeavored  to  keep 
both  civil  and  religious  freedom,  entirely  separating  political  and 
ecclesiastical  proceedings  as  completely  as  possible.  All  the  dif- 
ficulty probably  arose  from  the  fact  that  some  of  the  elders  were 
magistrates,  and  they  feared  lest,  in  the  public  estimation,  or  their 
own  actions,  the  two  offices  might  be  blended  in  their  exercise. 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    213 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

HENRY  PATTILLO,  AND  THE  CHURCHES  EM  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE 

COUNTIES. 

In  the  year  1751,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Davies,  then  residing  in  Hano- 
ver, Virginia,  made  an  excursion  for  preaching,  to  the  Roanoke. 
In  the  course  of  his  journeyings,  he  became  acquainted  with  Henry 
Pattillo,  then  a  young  man  desirous  of  commencing  his  studies  in 
preparation  for  the  gospel  ministry,  and  invited  him  to  come  and 
commence  his  course  with  him  in  Hanover.  This  invitation  Mr. 
Pattillo  at  first  declined,  as  he  had  engaged  to  go  to  Pennsylvania 
with  another  young  man,  and  commence  his  studies  under  the  care 
and  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  John  Thomson,  who  was  at  this  time 
in  Carolina  on  a  mission  to  the  new  settlements. 

In  the  year  1744,  in  compliance  with  a  "  representation  from 
many  people  in  North  Carolina — showing  their  desolate  condition, 
and  requesting  the  Synod  to  take  their  condition  into  consideration, 
and  petitioning  that  we  would  appoint  one  of  our  number  to  corres- 
pond with  them, — Mr.  Thomson,  of  Donegal  Presbytery,  was  ap- 
pointed by  the  Synod  to  correspond  with  them.  He  was  at  this 
time  on  a  visit  to  these  petitioners,  and  others  in  Carolina.  Mr. 
Pattillo  had  once  set  out  for  Pennsylvania  in  the  year  1750,  but  was 
seized  by  a  pleurisy  before  he  had  proceeded  half  a  day's  journey, 
under  the  influence  of  which  he  labored  the  greater  part  of  the 
winter  following.  Of  course  his  journey  to  Pennsylvania  was 
given  up.  While  waiting  in  the  summer  of  1751  for  Mr.  Thom- 
son's return  from  Carolina,  the  young  man  who  had  engaged  to  go 
on  with  him  to  Pennsylvania,  abandoned  the  design  of  preparing 
for  the  ministry.  Mr.  Pattillo  then  determined  to  accept  the  invita- 
tion of  Mr.  Davies,  and  on  the  first  of  August,  1751,  arrived  at  his 
house  in  Hanover,  and  "  had  a  kind  welcome." 

On  the  10th  of  August,  1754,  while  residing  with  Mr.  Davies,  he 
commenced  a  journal,  a  part  of  which  remains,  the  last  date  being 
June  13th,  1757.  He  gives  the  following  reasons  for  commencing 
the  journal :  1st  [the  beginning  of  the  sentence  is  wanting) — "  My 
growth  or  decay  in  the  divine  life,  and  thus  the  blessing  of  God  be 
actuated  accordingly.     2dly,I  shall  thereby  more  accurately  observe 


214  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

the  workings  of  my  own  heart,  and  the  methods  the  Lord  may  take 
for  my  reclamation  in  my  strayings  from  him.  3dly,  This  may, 
through  the  divine  blessing,  have  a  tendency  to  promote  my  watch- 
fulness and  diligence,  seeing  I  shall  have  a  daily  sentence  against 
myself  constantly  before  me,  which  I  hope  may  tend  to  promote 
my  humiliation.  4thly,  By  observing  the  dealings  of  God  with  my- 
self, I  may  be  the  better  enabled  to  deal  with  others,  especially  if 
the  Lord  shall  carry  me  through  learning,  and  call  me  to  the  work 
of  the  ministry.  5thly,  To  mention  no  more,  it  may  be  of  service 
to  me  in  giving  an  account  of  my  state  godward,  if  ever  I  should 
'  come  on  trial  for  the  ministry."  He  then  proceeds  to  give  some 
account  of  himself  from  his  birth  up  to  that  time.  From  the  frag- 
ments which  remain,  the  following  facts  are  gathered. 

Born  in  Scotland,  of  pious  parents,  who  were  well  situated  in 
point  of  religious  privileges,  he  was  early  placed  with  a  merchant 
to  learn  the  duties  of  the  counting-house.  Providentially  removed 
from  the  situation  in  which  he  was  placed,  he  was  induced  to  seek 
for  better  things  in  the  Province  of  Virginia,  a  region  to  which 
many  young  Scotchmen  turned  their  eyes  with  empty  pockets,  and 
hearts  full  of  hope.  Here  he  engaged  with  a  merchant  for  a  time, 
and  felt  in  his  absence  from  religious  instructions  and  restraints  the 
overcoming  power  of  temptation,  which  for  a  time  prevailed  over 
his  early  instructions  and  pious  resolutions.  Leaving  the  counting- 
house,  he  commenced  the  employment  of  a  teacher  of  children  ; 
and  while  thus  engaged  his  own  reflections  led  him  to  painful  and 
alarming  convictions  of  sin.  He  describes  his  state  of  mind  thus  : 
"  On  the  commission  of  sin,  after  I  conceived  the  Almighty  had 
partly  forgot  it,  or  his  anger  somewhat  abated,  I  would  go  and  con- 
fess it  with  many  tears,  and  thus  got  ease — encompassing  myself 
with  sparks  of  my  own  kindling.  But  I  was  taught  by  a  book  I  got 
about  this  time,  that  I  must  go  farther  yet,  and  enter  into  special 
covenant  w  ith  God.  Well,  after  this  I  felt  pretty  secure,  till,  by  the 
kind  providence  of  God,  I  was  brought  to  a  congregation  of  Pres- 
byterians, where  I  had  good  books  and  preaching  pretty  fre- 
quently." The  effect  of  preaching,  however,  was  not  to  human 
appearance  of  much  effect,  except  to  make  him  see  the  inconsistency- 
of  his  course.  After  remaining  a  year  in  this  congregation,  he  re- 
moved to  another  and  opened  his  school.  Of  his  exercises  of  mind 
and  heart  he  thus  writes  :  "  Here,  by  what  means  I  cannot  tell5  it 
being  so  gradual,  I  got  such  astonishing  views  of  the  method  of 
salvation,  and  of  the  glorious  Mediator;  such  sweetness  in  the 
duties  of  religion  ;  such  a  love  to  the  ways  of  God  ;  such  an  entire 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    215 

resignation  to  and  acquiescence  in  the  divine  will ;  such  a  sincere 
desire  to  see  men  religious,  and  endeavor  to  make  those  so  with 
whom  I  conversed,  that  after  all  my  base  ingratitude,  dreadful  back- 
slidings,  broken  vows,  frequent  commission  of  sin,  loss  of  fervor, 
and  frequently  lifeless  duties  since  that  time,  I  must,  to  the  eternal 
praise  of  boundless  free  grace,  esteem  it  a  wTork  of  the  Holy  Spirit, 
and  the  finger  of  God." 

Prayer  became  "  his  very  breath,"  and  he  engaged  in  it  as  often 
as  three  or  four  times  a  day ;  meditations  on  divine  things  filled  his 
heart  with  joy.  "  I  used,  when  alone,  to  speak  out  in  meditation, 
and  do  esteem  it  an  excellent  medium  to  fix  the  heart  on  the  work." 
He  goes  on  to  say  about  the  continuance  of  his  exercises  :  "Thus  I 
went  on  my  way  rejoicing  and  serving  God  for  the  space  of  a  year 
and  a  half;  I  was  generally  full  of  warmth,  nor  could  I  take  the 
Bible  or  any  religious  book  into  my  hand  but  I  would  find  some- 
thing suited  to  the  present  state  of  my  soul,  and  in  my  prosperity  I 
thought  I  should  never  be  moved." 

He  notices  an  error  he  fell  into  about  this  time, — judging  others' 
experience  too  much  by  its  agreement  or  disagreement  with  his 
own — his  intercourse  with  men  led  him  to  judge  more  favorably 
of  his  fellow  professors,  "  having  learned  not  to  make  my  own  ex- 
perience a  standard  for  others,  nor  confine  the  Almighty  to  one  par- 
ticular way  of  bringing  his  children  to  himself." 

His  desire  to  bring  men  to  Christ  led  him  to  frequent  efforts  in 
private  to  convince  and  persuade  ;  and  from  being  thus  engaged  in 
private,  he  desired  to  be  able  to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel  to  all 
men.  "  I  can  boast  of  but  little  success  in  these  endeavors,  yet  my 
feeble  attempts  produced  in  me  an  indescribable  desire  of  declaring 
the  same  to  all  mankind  to  whom  I  had  access  ;  and  as  I  could  not 
do  this  in  a  private  station,  I  was  powerfully  influenced  to  apply  to 
learning  in  order  to  be  qualified  to  do  it  publicly." 

In  consequence  of  this  desire  he  prepared  to  go  to  Pennsylvania 
to  commence  his  studies,  but  was  prevented  by  sickness;  and, 
eventually,  in  the  year  1751,  went  to  reside  with  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Davies  in  Hanover.  With  that  eminent  man  he  pursued  his  studies 
till  his  voyage  to  England  in  the  service  of  Princeton  College ;  and 
after  his  return,  till  the  time  of  his  licensure,  which  took  place  at 
Cub  Creek,  then  in  Lunenburg  county,  Sept.  29th,  1758.  The  cer- 
tificate signed  by  Samuel  Davies,  Moderator,  and  John  Todd,  Clerk, 
is  preserved,  though  in  a  mutilated  condition ;  its  wording  is  some- 
what different  from  the  form  now  used,  as  for  instance — "  he  having 
declared  his  assent  to,  and  approbation  of,  the  Westminster  Con- 


216  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

fession  of  Faith  and  Directory,  as  they  have  been  adopted  by  the 
Synod  of  New  York,  agreeably  to  the  practice  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland,"  &c. 

During  his  residence  in  Hanover,  he  was  sustained  in  part  by  the 
kindness  of  friends,  and  in  part  by  spending  some  hours  each  day 
in  teaching,  till  the  time  of  his  marriage  to  a  Miss  Anderson,  which 
event  took  place  in  1755.  From  that  time  till  his  course  of  studies 
was  completed  he  was  sustained  by  teaching  children,  and  by  the 
resources  of  his  wife,  living,  as  he  says  in  the  last  entry  in  the  jour- 
nal, June  13th,  1757,  in  a  "  house  16  by  1.2  and  an  outside  chimney, 
with  an  S  feet  shed — a  little  chimney  to  it."  On  the  day  of  this 
last  date  the  chimney  of  the  shed  was  shattered  by  lightning,  the 
rest  of  the  house  and  the  other  chimney,  which  was  much  higher, 
together  with  the  eleven  persons  in  the  house,  himself,  wife,  and 
infant  child,  his  wife's  sister,  six  scholars  and  a  negro  boy, — all 
escaped  unhurt. 

In  the  absence  of  data  from  his  own  hand,  the  following  extracts 
from  the  Records  of  Hanover  Presbytery  will  afford  information 
respecting  this  interesting  man, — 

"  Hanover,  28th  April,  1757.  The  Presbytery  appointed  Mr. 
Pattillo  as  piece  of  trial,  to  be  delivered  next  June,  a  sermon  on 
Acts  xvi.,  43,  first  part. — "  To  him  give  all  the  prophets  witness :" 
and  an  Exegesis — "  Num  Poena  Inferorum  sit  aeterna."  On  the  ap- 
pointed day  these  were  considered  and  approved. 

Cub  Creek,  Sept.  28th,  1757.  Mr.  Pattillo  opened  Presbytery 
with  a  Lecture  on  Daniel,  7th  chapter,  19th  to  27th  verses :  and  a 
Sermon  on  the  27th  verse  of  the  same  chapter.  He  was  then  ex- 
amined on  Divinity,  on  his  religious  experience,  "  and  on  review 
of  sundry  trials  he  has  passed  through,  they  judge  him  qualified  to 
preach  the  gospel ;  and  having  declared  his  assent  to,  and  appro- 
bation of,  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechism,  and 
Directory,  as  they  have  been  adopted  by  the  Synod  of  New  York, 
the  Presbytery  doth  authorize  him  to  preach  as  a  candidate  for  the 
Ministry  of  the  Gospel,  and  recommend  him  to  the  acceptance  of 
the  Churches ;  and  they  order  Messrs.  Davies  and  Todd  to  draw  up 
a  certificate  according  to  the  purport  of  this  minute ;  and  appoint 
(Alexander  Craighead)  the  Moderator  to  give  him  solemn  instruc- 
tion and  admonition  with  respect  to  the  discharge  of  his  office, 
which  was  done  accordingly." 

Providence,  26th  April,  1758.  Petitions  for  supplies  were  con- 
sidered. One  from  Hico — "  formerly  under  the  care  of  the  Phila- 
delphia Synod — particularly  for  Mr.  Pattillo."     Calls  came  in  for 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    217 

him  also  from  Albemarle,  Orange  and  Cumberland.  The  Presbytery 
agreed  to  give  him  till  the  next  meeting  to  consider  them. 

Cumberland,  12th  July,  1758.  "  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo  and  Wm. 
Richardson  have  been  set  apart  to  the  work  of  the  holy  ministry,  by 
fasting,  prayer,  and  imposition  of  hands," — a  certificate  ordered. 
At  the  same  meeting  he  was  appointed  Stated  Clerk. 

Hanover,  Sept.  27th,  1758.  Mr.  Pattillo  accepted  a  call  from 
Willis,  Bird  and  Buck  Island.  With  these  congregations  he  re- 
mained about  four  years.  At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  Providence, 
Oct.  7,  1762,  he  was  dismissed  from  this  charge,  the  people  "  being 
unable  to  give  him  a  sufficient  support."  In  1763,  May  4th,  at 
Tinkling  Spring,  he  agreed  to  supply  Cumberland,  Harris  Creek 
and  Deep  Creek.  With  these  congregations  he  continued  about 
two  years.  At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  Hico,  2d  October,  1765, 
a  call  for  his  services  was  presented  from  Hawfields,  Eno  and  Little 
River.  This  call  he  accepted,  and  removed  to  the  State  of  North 
Carolina,  and  there  served  the  church  about  thirty-five  years  in 
Orange  and  Granville  counties. 

At  a  meeting  of  Presbytery,  Buffalo,  Rowan  county,"  N.  C, 
March  8th,  1770,  Messrs.  David  Caldwell,  Hugh  M'Aden,  Joseph 
Alexander  and  Henry  Pattillo,  and  Hezekiah  Balch  and  James 
Criswell,  united  in  a  petition  to  Synod  to  be  set  off  as  a  Presbytery 
by  the  name  of  Orange, — "  where  two  of  our  ministers  reside,"  is 
given  as  the  reason  for  the  name.  This  year  the  counties  of  Guil- 
ford, Wake,  Chatham  and  Surrey,  were  set  off  to  counteract  the  in- 
fluence of  the  regulators. 

Mr.  Pattillo  continued  with  the  congregation  of  Hawfields,  Eno 
and  Little  River,  till  the  year  1774,  when  he  removed. 

In  the  year  1775  he  was  selected  for  one  of  the  delegates  for  the 
county  of  Bute  (now  Warren  and  Franklin)  to  attend  the  first  Pro- 
vincial Congress  of  North  Carolina.  Its  sessions  commenced  August 
20th,  in  Hillsborough.  There  were  two  other  ministers  in  the  Con- 
gress, Green  Hill,  a  Methodist,  from  Bute,  and  William  Hill,  the 
father  of  the  present  Secretary  of  State  of  North  Carolina,  a 
Baptist  from  Surrey. 

The  last  resolution  on  the  first  day  was,  "  that  the  Rev.  Henry 
Pattillo  be  requested  to  read  prayers  to  the  Congress  every  morning ; 
and  the  Rev.  Charles  Edward  Taylor  every  evening  during  his 
stay." 

On  the  29th  of  that  month  Rev.  Mr.  Boyd  presented  to  the  Con- 
gress 200  copies  of  the  Pastoral  letter  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia 
on  the  subject  of  the  war.     They  were  distributed  among  the  mem- 


218  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

bers,  and  a  sum  of  money  appropriated  to  the  use  of  Mr.  Boyd,  by 
an  order  on  the  treasurers,  from  the  public  funds.  Dr.  Witherspoon 
of  New  Jersey  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee  that  prepared  the 
letter,  which  was  unexceptionable  in  its  principles,  except  in  one 
point,  in  which  it  is  behind  the  movements  in  Mecklenburg, — it 
speaks  of  reconciliation  wTith  the  mother  country  as  possible,  but  as 
a  consequent  of  a  vehement  struggle.  It  however  exactly  suited 
the  prevailing  feeling  in  the  Provincial  Congress  of  Carolina,  the 
majority  of  whose  members  were  not  prepared  to  declare  Independ- 
ence at  that  time,  as  appears  from  their  proceedings  on  Monday, 
September  4th,  on  the  subject  of  the  Confederation  of  the  United 
Colonies. 

"  The  Congress,  resolved  into  a  committee  of  the  whole,  have  ac- 
cordingly and  unanimously  chosen  the  Rev.  Mr.  Pattillo,  chairman ; 
and  after  some  time  spent  therein  came  a  resolution  thereon." 

"  On  motion,  Mr.  President  resumed  the  chair,  and  Mr.- Chairman 
reported  as  follows,  to  wit :" 

"  That  the  Committee  have  taken  into  consideration  the  plan  of 
General  Confederation  between  the  United  Colonies,  and  are  of 
opinion  that  the  same  is  not  at  present  eligible.  And  it  is  also  the 
opinion  of  the  Committee  that  the  Delegates  for  this  province  ought 
to  be  instructed  not  to  consent  to  any  plan  of  Confederation  which 
may  be  offered  in  an  ensuing  Congress,  until  the  same  shall  be  laid 
before,  and  approved  *by,  the  Provincial  Congress. 

"  That  the  present  association  ought  to  be  further  relied  on  for 
bringing  about  a  reconciliation  with  the  parent  state,  and  a  further 
confederacy  ought  only  to  be  adopted  in  case  of  the  last  necessity. 

"  Then  on  motion  resolved, — The  Congress  do  approve  of  the 
above  resolutions." 

At  their  meeting  next  spring  in  Halifax,  1776,  the  Congress  took 
the  ground  of  Independence  some  two  months  before  the  action  of 
the  Continental  Congress,  as  related  in  the  chapter  on  the  Declara- 
tion of  Independence. 

It  will  be  borne  in  mind  that  Mr.  Pattillo  lived  in  the  midst  of  the 
Regulators;  that  some  of  their  largest  assemblages  were  in  the 
bounds  of  his  large  field  of  labor.  And  while  there  was  more  igno- 
rance, than  he  wished  to  see,  among  his  charge,  could  they  be  an 
ignorant  uninformed  people  ? 

In  the  year  1780,  Mr.  Pattillo  became  the  pastor  of  Nutbush  and 
Grassy  Creek,  in  Granville  county,  and  gave  to  them  his  last  labors, 
ripened  by  age  and  experience.  These  two  congregations  were 
composed  at  first  of  emigrants  from  Hanover,  New  Kent,  and  King 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    219 

and  Queen,  in  Virginia,  converts  under  the  preaching  of  Rev. 
Samuel  Davies  and  his  coadjutors.  Howel  Lewis,  Daniel  Grant, 
and  Samuel  Smith,  were  the  leading  persons  in  Grassy  Creek.  Mr. 
Lindsey,  Mr.  Simms  and  Mrs.  Gilliam,  the  leading  ones  in  Nut- 
bush. 

It  is  the  tradition  that  the  first  sacramental  occasion  held  by  Pres- 
byterians in  Granville  was  in  1763,  by  William  Tennant,  Jun.  By 
order  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick  ordained  him  for  a  southern  mission  in  1762. 
His  reasons  for  not  going  that  year  were  sustained.  He  made  a 
visit  the  next  year,  1763,  in  obedience  to  the  direction  of  Synod — 
"  to  go  and  supply  in  the  bounds,  and  under  the  direction  of  Hano- 
ver Presbytery  six  months  at  least."  The  place  in  which  the  ordi- 
nance was  administered  was  an  unoccupied  house  belonging  to 
Howel  Lewis,  about  one  mile  and  a  half  from  where  Grassy  Creek 
Church  now  stands.  The  congregations  were,  it  is  said,  regularly 
organized  by  Mr.  James  Criswell,  who  was  licensed  by  Hanover 
Presbytery  in  1765,  and  supplied  these  congregations  for  some  years. 
Mr.  Pattillo  was  his  successor. 

Mr.  Tennant  is  represented  as  being  of  a  cheerful  disposition. 
Finding  Mr.  Lewis  in  a  state  of  mental  depression  to  which  he  was 
subject,  and  desponding  on  the  subject  of  religion,  he  made  no  di- 
rect effort  to  dispel  the  gloom,  but  entered  into  cheerful  conversa- 
tion on  the  subject  of  salvation.  Hearing  Mr.  Lewis  order  the  ser- 
vant to  take  Mr.  Tennant's  horse  and  give  him  some  sorry  fodder 
(that  is  corn  blades) — "  you  give  my  horse  sorry  fodder,"  exclaimed 
Mr.  Tennant,  as  if  he  took  the  word  sorry  in  its  usual  signification, 
"  a  pretty  fellow  indeed  !"  The  suddenness  of  the  retort  changed 
the  whole  course  of  feeling  in  Mr.  Lewis  :  he  burst  into  a  hearty 
laugh,  and  his  depression  was  gone  ;  and  in  his  attendance  on  the 
ministrations  of  the  gospel  from  Mr.  Tennant,  received  great  com- 
fort and  advantage. 

Like  Mr.  Tennant,  Mr.  Pattillo  was  a  cheerful  man,  but  far  re- 
moved from  all  levity.  He  says  he  had  a  touch  of  melancholy  in 
his  constitution.  His  circumstances  were  always  narrow,  and  his 
generous  feelings  and  numerous  family  prevented  much  increase  of 
his  worldly  possessions.  His  numerous  calls  as  a  faithful  and  popu- 
lar preacher,  added  to  his  vocation  as  a  classical  teacher,  hindered 
his  pursuit  of  knowledge,  of  which  he  had  an  unquenchable  thirst. 
His  health  frequently  became  very  delicate  under  his  continued  and 
exhausting  services  ;  and  in  1782  under  the  influence  of  ill  health, 
he  made  a  will  which  is  yet  preserved,  from  which  we  extract  the 


220  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

following  :  "  I  adore  the  blessed  Providence  that  more  especially 
watched  over  me  and  wonderfully  governed  my  steps ;  that  at  the 
commencement  of  my  manhood  rescued  me  from  the  ways  of  sin 
and  the  paths  of  the  destroyer  ;  that  made  it  good  for  me  to  bear 
the  yoke  in  my  youth  ;  that  after  many  discouraging  disappoint- 
ments which  I  afterwards  found  were  merciful  interpositions  of  di- 
vine goodness,  my  way  was  opened  to  an  education,  and  I  was 
carried  through  it,  though  poverty  and  a  melancholy  constitution 
darkened  my  prospects,  and  threatened  to  stop  me  at  every  turn. 
The  same  divine  goodness  and  free  mercy  that  had  thus  far  indulged 
my  ardent  wish  and  daily  prayer,  that  I  might  be  qualified  both  by 
heaven's  grace  and  human  learning  to  preach  the  everlasting  gos- 
pel, was  graciously  pleased  to  call  me  thereto,  and  set  me  apart  by 
the  laying  on  of  the  hands  of  the  Presbytery.  Having,  therefore, 
obtained  help  of  God,  I  continue  to  this  day,  having  nothing  to 
complain  of  my  adorable  Master,  for  goodness  and  mercy  have 
followed  me  all  my  life  long ;  but  have  to  accuse  myself  that 
in  ten  thousand  instances  I  have  come  short  of  the  glory  of  God, 
and  have  been  a  very  unprofitable  servant,  in  not  promoting  to  the 
utmost  my  own  salvation  and  that  of  others.  And  a  great  aggra- 
vation of  this  guilt  is,  that  wherever  I  have  preached  the  gospel 
God  has  honored  me  with  such  a  share  of  popularity  and  the  favor 
of  mankind,  as  have  opened  a  door  for  much  more  usefulness  than 
I  have  had  zeal  and  diligence  to  improve.  Look,  gracious  God,  on 
a  creature  all  over  guilt  and  imperfection,  through  the  all-perfect 
righteousness,  wondrous  sufferings  and  glorious  resurrection  of  my 
Lord  Jesus  Christ,  on  whom  I  cast  myself  for  time  and  eternity. 

"  As  to  my  mortal  part,  let  it  return,  when  He  that  built  it  pleaseth, 
to  the  dust  from  whence  it  was  taken,  and  in  the  next  burying-place 
to  which  I  may  die.  I  commit  it  to  him  who  perfumed  the  grave 
for  his  people's  calm  repose;  who  acknowledges  his  relation  to 
them  even  in  the  dust,  and  I  am  sure  will  new  create  it  by  his 
power  divine." 

By  a  short  will  which  he  made  Dec.  19th,  1800,  not  long  before 
his  death,  it  appears  that  in  1784,  the  "  united  Presbyterian  con- 
gregations of  Grassy  Creek  and  Nutbush,  by  their  ruling  elders, 
purchased  of  Mr.  Thomas  Williamson  and  others,  a  tract  of  three 
hundred  acres  of  land,  on  Spicemarrow  Creek,  whereon  I  now  live ; 
and  as  the  said  elders  commissioned  and  empowered  the  late  Colo- 
nel Samuel  Smith  as  their  agent  to  make  a  deed  in  fee  simple  for 
the  said  land,  to  the  said  Henry  Pattillo,  which  deed  was  proved  and 
admitted  to  record  by  the  court  of  Granville  county,  at  their  May 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    221 

term,  1784,  on  the  express  condition  of  my  continuing  till  death  or 
disability,  the  minister  of  said  congregation."  This  condition  was 
fulfilled,  and  a  small  patrimony  was  thus  secured  to  the  family  of  a 
laborious  and  successful  minister  of  the  gospel,  who  had  neither 
disposition  nor  opportunity  to  accumulate  wealth. 

Mr.  Pattillo  pursued  and  finished  his  classical  and  theological 
course  with  Mr.  Davies  in  Hanover.  Mr.  Davies  contemplated  his 
spending  some  time  in  college.  From  the  short  journal  of  Mr. 
Pattillo,  we  learn  the  cause  why  he  never  followed  out  the  design  of 
his  much  loved  instructor.  At  the  time  he  drew  up  his  short  ac- 
count of  his  experience,  August  10th,  1754,  while  Mr.  Davies  was 
absent  on  a  voyage  to  England,  he  says — "  I  have  thus  been  sup- 
ported by  the  mere  bounty  of  others,  which,  to  the  praise  of  God 
be  it  spoken,  has  always  been  sufficient,  though  on  the  receipt  of  one 
supply,  my  faith  has  been  frequently  baffled  to  see  where  the  next 
should  come  from.  My  discouragements  are  chiefly  these.  The 
difficulties,  of  learning  ;  the  loss  of  at  least  one-third  of  my  time, 
and  Mr.  Davies's  voyage  to  Europe,  which  has  left  me  without  a 
teacher  this  year  past ;  together  with  the  weakness  of  my  faith  in 
God's  providence  respecting  my  support."  Mr.  John  Blair  was  then 
on  a  visit  to  Mr.  Davies's  congregation,  as  a  temporary  supply  in 
his  absence.  Of  him  Mr.  Pattillo  makes  this  short  remark — "  what 
a  burning  light  he  is  !"  In  the  few  leaves  of  the  journal  left,  which 
gives  here  and  there  a  notice  up  to  June  18th,  1757,  which  day 
the  remarkable  thunder  shower  took  place,  as  mentioned  above  ;  he 
dwells  mostly  on  his  own  Christian  experience.  He  makes  no  par- 
ticular mention  of  Mr.  Davies's  presence,  or  family,  or  preaching ; 
mentions  Mr.  Todd's  meeting,  but  says  nothing  of  him — neither 
names  the  persons  with  whom  he  was  pursuing  his  studies  in  com- 
pany. 

On  Monday,  May  30th,  1755,  he  makes  the  following  entry : 
"  Agreeable  to  a  plan  agreed  on  among  us  who  are  studying  with 
a  view  to  the  ministry,  this  day  is  set  apart  for  fasting  and  prayer. 
Though  my  wants  be  so  numerous  that  I  could  not  name  them  in  a 
whole  day — the  principal  blessings  I  am  this  day  in  pursuit  of  are — 
1st,  Quickening  and  vivacity  in  religion ;  2d,  That  I  may  pursue 
my  studies  assiduously,  and  that  the  great  end  of  them  may  be  the 
glory  of  God,  and  the  salvation  of  men;  3d,  That  religion  may 
revive  where  it  is  professed,  and  spread  where  not  yet  known." 

Some  time  in  the  summer  of  1755,  he  entered  the  married  state. 
He  had  written  to  Mr.  Davies  on  the  subject,  and  received  an  an- 
swer stating  objections  to  the  prudence  of  the  step  at  that  time. 


222  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  leaves  of  the  journal  on  which  the  date  of  these  events,  and 
the  principal  objections  of  Davies  were  recorded,  are  lost.  The 
opinion  of  his  instructor  overcame  him,  and  he  determined  to  aban- 
don the  project,  till  he  came  to  consider  the  situation  of  the  young 
lady  he  had  addressed,  and  whose  affection  he  had  won  ;  upon  re- 
flection he  determined  to  proceed  in  the  business,  and  consummate 
the  marriage ;  believing  it  would  not  involve  him  in  pecuniary  dif- 
ficulty ;  that  it  would  not  hinder  his  further  study  ;  and  lastly, 
"  That  Mr.  Davies  was  so  well  known  in  the  learned  world  that  a 
person  finished  by  his  hand,  would  not  come  under  contempt  any 
more  than  many  shining  lights  now  in  the  Church,  who  were  edu- 
cated before  the  college  was  erected." 

That  he  pursued  his  studies  with  success  after  he  was  ordained 
to  the  full  work  of  the  gospel  ministry  and  held  a  high  rank  as  a 
classical  teacher,  is  inferred  from  the  fact  that  the  college  of  Hamp- 
den Sydney,  Prince  Edward  county,  Virginia,  in  the  year  1787, 
April  25th,  while  under  the  presidency  of  John  B.  Smith,  conferred 
upon  him  the  Degree  of  Master  of  Arts.  The  parchment  is  still 
preserved,  and  bears,  in  their  own  handwriting,  the  signatures  of 
the  President, — and  John  Nash,  Arch'd  McRoberts,  James  Allen, 
F.  Watkins,  Thomas  Scott,  Richard  Foster,  Richard  Sankey,  and 
Charles  Allen,  Curators. 

In  the  year  1787,  Mr.  Pattillo  issued  from  the  press  in  Wilming- 
ton, a  volume  containing  three  sermons,  viz.,  on  Divisions  among 
Christians,  on  the  Necessity  of  Regeneration,  and  the  Scripture 
Doctrine  of  Election.  To  these,  were  added  an  Address  to  the 
Deists,  and  an  extract  of  a  letter  from  Mr.  Whitefield  to  Mr. 
Wesley.  He  appears  to  have  been  fond  of  the  use  of  his  pen,  as 
far  as  his  few  hours  of  leisure  would  permit.  A  few  manuscripts 
remain  :  some  Essays  on  Baptism ;  on  Universalism  ;  a  Cate- 
chism of  Doctrine  for  Youth  ;  and  a  Catechism  or  Compend  in 
Question  and  Answer,  for  the  use  of  Adults.  He  also  prepared  a 
Geography  for  Youth,  by  way  of  Question  and  Answer,  which 
must  have  been  superior  to  any  printed  volume  then  in  use.  He 
also  published  a  sermon  on  the  death  of  General  Washington. 
For  about  twelve  years  he  taught  a  classical  school  in  Granville  ; 
part  of  the  time  on  the  place  now  occupied  by  M.  J.  Hunt,  and 
part  of  the  time  at  Williamsburgh. 

He  continued  to  serve  the  congregation  of  Nutbush  and  Grassy 
Creek,  till  his  death  in  1801,  having  nearly  completed  his  seventy- 
fifth  year.  He  finished  his  course  at  a  distance  from  home,  in 
Dinwiddie  county,  Virginia,  whither  he  had  gone  as  a  minister  of 


CHURCHES  IN  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    223 

the  gospel.     The  Rev.  Drury  Lacy,  in  the  sermon  he  preached  on 
the  occasion  of  his  death,  says — "  I  was  assured  by  the  gentleman, 
at  whose   houses  he   finished  his   course,   that  he   exhibited  the 
greatest  example  of  resignation  and  tranquillity  of  mind  he  had   i 
ever  seen." 

The  text  chosen  by  Mr.  Lacy  was  Romans  xiv.,  7  and  8  ;  "  For 
none  of  us  liveth  to  himself,  and  no  man  dieth  to  himself     For 
whether  we  live,  we  live  unto  the  Lord ;  or  whether  we  die,  we 
die  unto  the  Lord  ;  whether  we  live,  therefore,  or  die,  we  are  the 
Lord's."     In  giving  the  character  of  Mr.  Pattillo,  he  says — "  Pos- 
sessed of  an  originality  of  genius,  and  endowed  by  nature  with 
powers  of  mind  superior  to  the  common  lot  of  men,  he  cheerfully 
determined  to  consecrate  them  all  to  the  service  of  the  Saviour  in 
the  gospel  ministry.     That  the  Scriptures  were  his  delight,  and 
N  that  he  meditated  on  them  day  and  night,  so  as  to  become  well- 
versed  in  their  doctrines  and  precepts,  all  who  had  the  plea'sure  of 
his  acquaintance,  all  who  ever  heard  him  preach,  and  all  who  have 
read  his  printed  works,  cannot  be  ignorant.     That  he  devoted  his 
time  and  talents  to  the  service  of  God,  his  works   of  faith  and 
labors  of  love  among  you,  and,  as  far  as  he  had  an  opportunity,  of 
travelling  to  preach,  abundantly  testify.     His  zeal  was  so  far  from 
being  diminished  by  age,  that  it  evidently  appeared  to  increase  ;  as 
if  the  near  prospect  of  obtaining  the  crown  animated  him  to  greater 
exertions  to  be  found  worthy  of  it.     My  hearers  !  can  you  have 
forgotten  the  ardor  and  pertinacity  of  his  prayers,  the  weight  of 
his  arguments,  the  fervor  of  his  exhortations,  and  the  persuasive- 
ness of  his  counsels  ?     Did  he  not  visit  your  bedside  when  you 
were  sick,  and  there  communicate  heavenly  instructions  to  revive 
your  fainting  spirits,  and  pour  forth  the  fervent  prayer  to  God  that 
your  affliction  might  be  sanctified?     And  in  the  social  intercourse 
of  friendship,  you  must  remember  how  readily  he  improved  every 
occurrence    to    communicate     useful    and   religious    knowledge. 
That   his   life   was   a   pattern   of   resignation   and   thankfulness, 
has  been  remarked  even  by  those  who  had  but  a  slight  acquaint- 
ance with  him.     Always  cheerful,  he   seemed  more  disposed  to 
bless  the  hand  of  providence  for  the  favors  he  enjoyed,  than  to 
think  hardly  of  any  afflictive  dispensation  he  suffered.     When  was 
the  tenor  of  his  soul  so  lost  and  discomposed  as  to  unfit  him  for 
the  discharge  of  the  sacred  duties  of  his  office  ?" 

The  following  extract  from  a  letter  respecting  his  last  hours, 
shows  the  spirit  of  the  man  : — "  He  had  lain  for  several  hours 
with  his  eyes  closed,  speechless,  and  apparently  insensible.     One 


224  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA. 

of  his  friends  requested  to  ask  a  question.  Although  it  would 
have  seemed  hopeless  to  expect  any  remaining  intelligence,  he  had 
a  curiosity  and  desire  to  make  a  last  effort  to  arouse  him.  Placing 
his  mouth  near  his  ear,  he  asked,  in  a  loud  tone  of  voice — '  Where 
is  your  hope  now  V  The  dying  man  opened  his  eyes,  and  raising 
both  hands,  extended  his  arms  upwards,  as  if  pointing  toward  that 
heaven  which  had  been  the  object  of  his  fervent  prayers,  and  to 
which  he  had  constantly  looked  forward  as  the  place  of  his  ever- 
lasting rest."     In  a  short  time  he  entered  into  that  rest. 

Rev.  John  Matthews,  a  member  of  the  Hawfields  church,  who, 
like  Pattillo, commenced  preparations  for  the  ministry  later  in  life 
than  is  usual,  became  the  Pastor  of  Nutbush  and  Grassy  Creek, 
having  received  a  call  April,  1803.  His  preparatory  studies  had 
all  been  under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Caldwell,  of  Guilford,  and  his 
license  given  him  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  at  Barbacue,  in 
the  month  of  March,  1801,  in  company  with  Duncan  Brown, 
Hugh  Shaw,  Murdoch  Murphy,  Murdoch  McMillan,  Malcolm 
McNair,  and  E.  B.  Currie,  all  like  himself  pupils  of  Dr.  Cald- 
well.    The  two  first  are  still  living  in  Tennessee. 

Mr.  Matthews  left  these  congregations  in  1806,  and  removed  to 
Berkeley  county,  Virginia.  From  thence  to  Jefferson  county  ; 
and  is  now  Professor  in  the  Theological  Seminary  at  New  Albany. 

Leonard  Prather  supplied  them  for  a  short  time  :  but  was  soon 
deposed  for  intemperance. 

His  successor  was  the  Rev.  E.  B.  Currie,  who  left  Bethesda 
and  Greers  in  1809.  He  was  also  a  pupil  of  Dr.  Caldwell.  He 
served  them  till  about  the  year  1819,  when  he  removed  to  Haw- 
fields, and  served  that  congregation  and  Crossroads  till  about  the 
year  1843,  when  his  infirmities  induced  him  to  give  up  his  charge. 

In  1822,  Rev.  S.  M.  Graham  entered  upon  the  duties  of  pastor  to 
these  congregations,  and  served  them  a  number  of  years  ;  he  now 
holds  the  chair  of  a  Professor  in  the  Union  Theological  Seminary. 

THE      CONGREGATIONS     OF     HAWFIELDS,    ENO,    AND    LITTLE    RIVER. 

Settlements  of  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  began  along  the 
Eno  and  the  Haw  rivers,  about  the  time  that  the  colonies  settled 
in  that  part  of  Lunenburg  county,  Virginia,  now  called  Charlotte, 
on  Cub  Creek  and  the  adjacent  streams,  which  was  about  the 
years  1738  and  1739.  It  is  supposed  that  these  settlements,  and 
those  in  Duplin  and  New  Hanover,  were  the  places  visited  by- 
Robinson,  who  is  supposed  to  be  the  first  Presbyterian  missionary 


CHURCHES  OF  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    225 

sent  from  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  that  visited  North  Caro- 
lina. No  other  notice  remains  of  his  visit,  but  the  fact  that  he 
did  visit  these  parts,  and  underwent  great  hardships,  from  which 
his  constitution  scarcely  recovered.  In  all  probability  the  "  sup- 
plications "  for  ministerial  visits  that  were  laid  before  the  Synod 
of  Philadelphia,  then  the  only  Synod  of  Presbyterian  clergy  in 
the  United  States,  came,  in  part,  from  the  bounds  of  Orange 
county,  North  Carolina.  The  troubles  and  distractions  that  at- 
tended the  divisions  of  the  Synod  soon  after,  prevented,  or  in- 
terrupted for  a  time,  missionary  operations  to  any  extent,  and  then 
increased  their  number  and  their  energy. 

Mr.  John  Thomson,  who  was  appointed  to  correspond  with  the 
supplicants,  a  member  of  Donegal  Presbytery,  visited  them  in 
person  in  1751.  On  his  journey  to  Carolina,  the  arrangement 
was  made  with  Mr.  Pattillo  and  another  young  man,  to  return 
with  him  to  Pennsylvania,  and  commence  their  studies  in  prepara- 
tion for  the  ministry.  Mr.  Thomson  made  a  long  stay,  and  in 
the  meantime  the  young  man  relinquishing  his  design  of  study, 
and  Mr  Davies  giving  Mr.  Pattillo  an  invitation  to  his  house,  the 
design  of  going  to  Pennsylvania  was  abandoned.  There  remain 
no  memoranda  either  of  the  correspondence  of  Mr.  Thomson  with 
those  desirous  of  ministerial  labor,  or  of  his  visit  to  them. 
Neither  is  there  any  document  that  may  give  any  particular  ac- 
count of  the  visits  that  were  made  by  the  various  missionaries 
sent  out  by  the  two  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  till 
the  years  1755  and  1756,  when  Hugh  M'Aden,  a  licentiate  of 
New  Brunswick  Presbytery,  made  a  tour  of  a  year,  a  concise 
journal  of  whose  journeyings  and  preaching  is  still  preserved,  and 
makes  part  of  another  chapter.  He  visited  the  settlements  on  the 
Eno,  and  preached  for  them  the  second  Sabbath  of  iVugust,  1755, 
lodging  at  the  house  of  Mr.  John  Anderson,  whose  grandchildren, 
some  of  them,  still  live  on  the  Eno.  After  a  visit  to  Tar  River, 
he  returned  to  Mr.  Anderson's,  and  on  the  fourth  Sabbath  of  Au- 
gust preached  at  the  Hawfields.  Of  the  Eno  settlement  he  says, 
they  were  "  a  set  of  pretty  regular  Presbyterians,"  who  appeared 
at  that  time  in  a  cold  state  of  religious  feeling.  Of  the  Hawfields 
settlement,  he  says,  "  the  congregation  was  chiefly  made  up  of 
Presbyterians,  who  seemed  highly  pleased,  and  very  desirous  to 
hear  the  woid."  The  next  year  they  applied  to  Hanover  Pres- 
bytery for  supplies. 

These  congregations  on  the  Eno  and  the  Haw  appear  to  have 
been  not  altogether  regular  in  their  ecclesiastical  matters,  for, 

15 


226  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

according  to  the  statement  of  an  old  elder  of  the  Eno  church, 
Mr.  James  Clark,  who  died  a  few  years  since,  Mr.  Spencer  and 
McWhartcr,  in  their  mission  to  Carolina  to  organize  and  regulate 
the  congregations,  attended  to  the  organization  of  Eno.  How- 
ever, this  might  refer  only  to  their  boundaries  and  separate  action. 
The  first  elders  were  Thomas  Clark,  John  Tinnier,  and  Carus 
Tinnier.  The  names  of  the  first  elders  in  Hawfields  have  not 
been  preserved.  Mr.  Pattillo  was  the  first  settled  minister  of 
these  two  congregations,  which  have  been  the  mothers  of  those 
now  surrounding  them,  Little  River,  New  Hope,  Fairfield,  and 
Cross  Roads.     He  came  in  1765,  and  left  them  in  1774. 

The  second  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Debow,  from  the  Presbytery 
of  New  Brunswick,  began  to  preach  in  these  two  congregations, 
as  a  licentiate,  about  the  year  1775,  and  was  ordained  about  the 
year  1776.  His  remains  were  interred  in  the  grave-yard  that  sur- 
rounds the  Hawfields  meeting-house.  Under  his  ministry  there 
was  a  revival  of  religion,  and  a  goodly  number  were  added  to  the 
churches.  His  death  took  place  in  the  month  of  September, 
1783. 

The  next  regular  minister  that  remained  with  these  congregations 
for  a  time,  was  Jacob  Lake,  the  brother-in-law  of  Mr.  Debow. 
During  his  ministry  the  congregation  of  Cross  Roads  was  organ- 
ized, being  made  up  of  parts  of  Hawfields,  Eno,  and  Stony 
Creek.     He  left  the  congregation  about  the  year  1790. 

His  successor  was  the  Rev.  William  Hodges,  who  is  said  to 
have  been  a  native  of  Hawfields.  Becoming  hopefully  religious 
under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Debow,  he  commenced  preparations 
for  the  ministry.  After  the  death  of  his  spiritual  father,  he  be- 
came discouraged,  turned  his  attention  to  other  things,  and  mar- 
ried and  settled  in  the  congregation  of  Hawfields.  During  the 
excitement  which  prevailed  under  the  preaching  of  James 
M'Gready,  on  Stony  Creek,  and  along  the  Haw  River,  in  1789, 
1790,  and  1791,  Mr.  Hodges  felt  his  desire  to  preach  the  gospel 
revive  and  spring  up  with  greater  force  than  ever.  Being  licensed 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  he  went  heart  and  hand  with 
M'Gready  in  the  work;  differing,  however,  so  much  in  his  manner 
of  preaching,  that  the  people  styled  him  the  "  Son  of  Consola- 
tion," and  M'Gready,  Boanerges.  In  1792  he  was  ordained  pastor 
of  Hawfields  and  Cross  Roads,  by  Orange  Presbytery.  During 
his  ministry  many  were  gathered  to  the  church.  About  the  year 
1800  he  removed  to  Tennessee,  and  was  there  an  active  agent  in 
the  "  Great  Revival "  that  spread  over  the  South  and  West. 


CHURCHES  OF  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    227 

His  successor  was  William  Paisley,  under  whose  ministry  the 
great  revival  of  1802  commenced,  at  the  Cross  Roads,  an  account 
of  which  is  given  under  the  head  of  James  M'Gready,  and  the 
Great  Revival.  The  first  camp-meeting  in  the  South  was  held 
at  Hawfields,  in  October,  1802,  and  grew  out  of  the  necessity  of 
the  case.  The  community  was  greatly  excited  on  the  subject  of 
religion,  and  multitudes,  some  from  a  great  distance,  assembled  at 
Hawfields  for  the  fall  communion  services.  The  neighborhood 
could  not  accommodate  the  numbers  assembled,  and  their  anxiety 
to  hear  the  gospel  was  too  great  to  permit  them  to  return  to  their 
homes  ;  they  therefore  remained  on  the  ground,  camping  with 
their  wagons  for  three  or  four  days,  getting  their  necessary  supplies 
as  they  could.  So  great  was  the  interest  excited,  and  so  great  the 
enjoyment,  and  the  profit  supposed  to  be  derived  from  the  meet- 
ing, that  the  example  was  followed  extensively  throughout  the 
whole  upper  country  of  North  Carolina.  The  custom  of  spending 
three  or  four  days  encamped  at  the  place  of  worship,  during  com- 
munion occasions,  extensively  prevails  to  this  day.  Near  most  of 
the  churches,  that  follow  this  habit,  cabins  are  built  for  the  ac- 
commodation of  the  worshippers,  and  for  the  season  the  whole 
neighborhood  give  themselves  up  to  the  exercises  of  the  meeting. 
In  Hawfields,  the  interest  and  attendance  are  yet  unabated. 

After  serving  the  congregations  about  twenty  years,  Mr.  Paisley 
removed  to  Greensborough  ;  and  is  still  able  to  preach  occasion- 
ally, though,  through  infirmities  of  age,  he  has  declined  being  pastor 
of  a  congregation. 

His  successor,  the  Rev.  Ezekiel  B.  Currie,  passed  his  early 
life  in  several  different  congregations  in  Orange  and  Guilford 
counties,  but  chiefly  on  the  Haw  River.  His  father  lived  for  a 
time  in  Alamance  congregation,  in  Guilford  ;  from  thence  removed 
to  Sandy  River,  in  the  upper  part  of  Orange,  near  Randolph. 
During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  on  account  of  the  hostility  of 
the  tories  in  that  neighborhood,  he  was  compelled  to  leave  his 
home,  and  hide  himself.  Making  a  visit  to  his  family  he  was  dis- 
covered and  seized  by  the  tories,  wounded,  and  left  for  dead,  and 
his  property  carried  away.  The  scars  of  these  wounds,  received 
in  this  attack,  he  carried  upon  his  head  to  his  grave.  After  being 
broken  up  on  Sandy  River,  he  removed  to  Haw  River  congrega- 
tion, whose  place  of  worship  was  about  three  miles  north  of  Gum 
Grove,  the  old  burying-ground  being  still  visible. 

A  remark  made  by  an  old  gentleman  who  had  sat  silently  by  the 
fire-side,  while  young  Currie  and  others  were   making  merry  one 


228  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

evening,  was  blest  to  awaken  him  to  the  danger  he  was  in  as  a 
sinner.  When  the  company  were  about  to  break  up,  the  old  gen- 
tleman turned  to  him  and  said — "  Young  man,  when  will  you  turn 
to  serious  things  ?"  This  troubled  his  mind  greatly.  His  con- 
version he  attributes,  under  God,  to  the  ministry  of  Mr.  M'Gready, 
for  whom  he  entertained  the  highest  regard  through  his  whole  life. 
His  education  he  obtained  from  two  sources,  Dr.  Caldwell  of 
Guilford,  and  Mr.  M'Gready.  The  latter  taught  school  at  his 
residence,  between  three  and  four  miles  below  High  Rock,  about 
mid-way  between  his  two  places  of  preaching,  Haw  River  and 
Stony  Creek.  The  principal  part  of  his  instruction,  however, 
was  from  Dr.  Caldwell. 

In  the  month  of  March,  1801,  at  Barbacue  church,  Cumber- 
land county,  Messrs.  Ezekiel  B.  Currie,  John  Matthews,  Duncan 
Brown,  Murdock,  McMillan,  Malcolm  McNair,  Hugh  Shaw,  and 
Murdock  Murphy,  were  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  Orange 
Presbytery.  These  had  all  received  their  education  principally 
under  Dr.  Caldwell,  and  were  influenced  more  or  less  by 
M'Gready,  to  seek  the  ministry.  All  were  actors  in  the  great 
revival  of  1802,  and  onwards.  Four  of  them  are  still  living;  two 
of  whom  are  honored  with  the  title  of  D.D.,  Brown  and  Matthews. 
Two  of  them  were  particularly  useful  in  building  up  the  churches 
that  now  constitute  Fayetteville  Presbytery,  McMillan  and 
McNair. 

Soon  after  his  licensure,  Mr.  Currie  went  to  Bethany  church,  in 
Caswell ;  to  which  Greers  was  soon  united.  After  spending  about 
seven  years  in  these  congregations,  he  was  removed  to  Nutbush 
and  Grassy  Creek,  in  Granville  ;  and  from  thence,  in  the  year 
1819,  to  Hawfields  and  Cross  Roads.  About  the  year  1843  he 
withdrew  from  the  pastoral  charge  of  these  congregations,  on  ac- 
count of  the  infirmities  of  age,  but  still  lives  to  preach  occasion- 
ally, and  to  witness  the  successful  labors  of  his  successor  in  these 
two  congregations,  constituting  one  of  the  largest  and  most  inte- 
resting charges  in  North  Carolina,  which  has  been  blessed  with 
revivals  from  its  origin. 

After  Cross  Roads  was  united  with  Hawfields  in  the  service  of 
a  pastor,  Eno,  which  had  at  first  been  its  partner,  was  united  with 
Little  River,  which  became  a  distinct  congregation  about  this  time, 
under  the  charge  of  Rev.  James  H.  Bowman,  in  the  year  1794. 
In  the  great  revival  in  1802,  and  onwards,  he  gathered  a  goodly 
number  into  his  two  churches.     His  ministry  closed  in  1815. 

His  successor  was  Samuel  Paisley,  half-brother  of  Wm.  Pais- 


CHURCHES  OF  ORANGE  AND  GRANVILLE  COUNTIES.    229 

ley,  and  son  of  an  Indian  captive,  who  commenced  his  labors  here 
in  1816.  In  1821  the  congregations  were  blessed  with  a  revival 
of  religion  that  brought  numbers  into  the  church.  After  some 
years  of  service,  Mr.  Paisley  left  them,  and  is  now  ministering  in 
Moore  county,  a  member  of  Fayetteville  Presbytery. 

The  Rev.  Messrs.  Professor  Philips,  of  the  University,  Elijah 
Graves,  afterwards  a  missionary,  Daniel  G.  Dock,  Thomas  Lynch, 
and  finally,  John  Paisley,  each  served  the  congregation  of  Eno  for 
a  short  time.  The  last  finished  his  earthly  course  in  the  congre- 
gation. Of  him  a  member  of  the  congregation  thus  writes  :  "  His 
labors,  no  doubt,  were  blessed,  during  his  short  stay  with  us.  The 
good  seed  he  has  sown  seems  to  be  springing  up ;  and  even  some 
sheaves  ready  to  be  gathered  in ;  for  in  a  few  days  wre  expect  a 
goodly  number  to  come  forward  in  that  old  church,  and  declare 
themselves  to  be  on  the  Lord's  side."  After  expressing  a  desire 
that  his  name  may  be  remembered,  he  goes  on  to  say,  "  he  was 
not  only  a  preacher  in  the  pulpit,  but  his  daily  walk  and  private 
conversation  savored  of  the  spirit  of  his  Master.  His  Bible  classes 
were  large,  and  his  examinations  extremely  interesting.  But  O, 
sir,  we  can't  tell  why  it  was  that  he  so  soon  finished  his  work. 
His  Master  called,  and  he,  with  his  lamp  trimmed  and  burning,  was 
ready  to  go.  His  disease,  perhaps  a  complicated  one,  baffled  the 
skill  of  some  three  or  four  eminent  physicians.  The  anxiety  mani- 
fested by  his  congregations,  and  all  who  knew  him,  was  great  in- 
deed. But  it  was  the  Lord's  doing,  and  we  must  submissively 
say,  '  Even  so,  Father,  for  so  it  seemed  good  in  thy  sight.'  "  The 
aged  minister  goes  down  like  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe ;  the 
youthful  servant  leaves  us  in  amazement,  and  wonder,  and  tears. 

The  Eno  and  Hawfields  congregations,  extending  from  Hillsbo- 
rough to  the  Haw  River,  were  the  scene  of  many  of  the  doings  of 
the  Regulators.  Not  a  few  of  the  people  were  engaged  in  the 
proceedings  of  these  slandered,  yet  brave  men.  Understanding 
their  rights  of  person  and  property,  they  could  not  restrain  their 
indignation  under  the  complicated  and  long-continued  impositions 
of  those  who,  acting  under  the  protection  of  the  crown,  exacted 
unheard  of  taxes  from  honest,  unsuspecting  men  ;  selling  the  same 
piece  of  land  to  different  individuals,  and  receiving  the  pay  from  all, 
without  redress ;  exacting  pay  over  and  over  again  from  the  same 
individuals  for  the  same  tract,  under  various  pretexts  ;  and  setting 
at  defiance  all  law  and  order.  If  these  people  had  not  resisted, 
they  would  have  been  unworthy  of  their  ancestors  and  the  religion 
they  professed.     That  many  base  and  unprincipled  men  took  ad- 


230  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

vantage  of  the  disturbance  and  distress,  to  commit  heinous  offences 
against  the  peace  of  society,  and  in  defiance  of  all  law,  is  a  thing 
to  be  lamented,  but  not  to  be  charged  too  severely  upon  men  who 
were  willing  to  live  peaceably,  and  would  have  been  loyal  had  not 
"  oppression  driven  them  mad." 

Tryon's  march  the  day  before  the  Regulation  battle,  was  through 
these  congregations  ;  and  the  heavy  oath  of  allegiance  was  exacted 
as  the  price  of  their  property  and  lives,  after  the  governor's  victory. 
Upon  the  conscientious  part  of  the  community,  that  oath  sat  with  a 
galling  weight ;  although  many  felt  themselves  relieved  by  the  fact 
that  the  king  could  neither  enforce  his  laws  nor  defend  his  subjects  ; 
yet  some  suffered  under  its  influence  during  the  whole  war — not 
daring  to  take  up  arms  for  their  country,  and  not  disposed  to  enlist 
among  her  enemies.  Such  people  often  suffered  the  ill-deserved 
odium  of  being  tories,  and  felt  the  ill-effects  of  a  bad  name. 
Few  real  tories  were  found  in  the  Presbyterian  population  of 
Orange.  The  most  vehement  enemies  that  Cornwallis  met,  had 
been  under  the  instruction  of  Presbyterian  ministers.'  The  first 
settled  minister  of  Hawfields  and  Hico  sat  in  the  first  Provincial 
Congress  of  Carolina,  and  on  alarms,  met  with  his  people,  to 
encourage  them  by  precept  and  example,  to  defend  their  country 
and  their  religion.  Cornwallis  found  Hillsborough  and  its  neigh- 
borhood little  less  inviting  than  Charlotte,  which  he  named  "  the 
Hornets'  Nest ;"  and  very  few  grown  men  from  Hillsborough  to 
the  Haw,  were  unacquainted  with  service  in  the  camp,  and 
marches,  and  plunderings,  while  his  lordship  remained  in  Orange. 
And  in  the  future  history  of  Carolina,  the  war  of  the  Regulation 
will  stand  prominent  as  the  struggle  of  liberty  and  justice  against 
oppression,  not  less  glorious  than  Lexington  and  Bunker  Hill,  for 
the  principles  displayed,  though  less  honored  for  the  immediate 
effects. 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  23l 


CHAPTER  XVII. 

REV.    DAVID  CALDWELL,  D.D.,  AND    THE    CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD 

COUNTY. 

The  congregations  of  Buffalo  and  Alamance,  the  two  eldest  and 
largest  of  the  Presbyterian  denomination,  and  probably  of  any 
other,  in  the  county  of  Guilford,  have  had  the  singular  privilege  of 
enjoying  the  regular  ministrations  of  the  gospel,  with  little  inter- 
mission, for  more  than  eighty  years  in  conjunction  with  each 
other,  dividing  the  Sabbaths — and  from  two  men.  The  time  of 
the  ministerial  relation  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  David  Caldwell  and 
Eli  W.  Caruthers  with  these  congregations,  extends  from  about 
the  time  of  the  organization  of  Alamance,  in  the  year  17G4,  to  the 
present  day  ;  an  incontestible  evidence  of  their  stability,  and  the 
irreproachable  lives  of  their  pastors. 

"  A  Sketch  of  the  Life  and  Character  of  the  Rev.  David  Cald- 
well, D.D.,"  by  Mr.  Caruthers,  his  successor  in  the  ministry, 
replete  with  various  information,  gives  all  of  importance  that  can 
be  collected,  concerning  the  early  life  of  that  venerable  man,  who 
finished  his  course  in  the  one  hundredth  year  of  his  age,  and  the 
sixty-first  of  his  ministry. 

David  Caldwell,  born  March  22d,  1725,  in  Lancaster  county, 
Pennsylvania,  was  the  son  of  a  respectable  farmer,  in  good  worldly 
circumstances,  and  of  unblemished  Christian  character.  After 
receiving  the'  rudiments  of  an  English  education,  he  was  bound 
apprentice  to  a  house  carpenter,  and  served  till  the  legal  period, 
the  age  of  twenty-one.  After  working  at  his  trade,  as  a  journey- 
man, for  about  four  years,  at  the  age  of  twenty-five  he  was 
admitted  to  the  communion  of  the  church,  on  a  profession  of  his 
faith.  As  soon  as  the  hope  in  Christ  was  formed  in  his  heart,  he 
began  most  earnestly  to  desire  an  education  for  the  purpose  of 
becoming  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  His  thirst  for  information 
became  a  passion,  and  his  desire  to  be  useful  in  the  ministry 
increased  to  intense  earnestness,  and  he  resolved  to  sacrifice  time, 
and  labor,  and  his  portion  that  might  fall  to  him  from  his  father's 
estate,  to  satisfy  these  strong  desires  of  his  heart.  With  unwea- 
ried perseverance,  he  pursued  the  object  of  his  desire,  and  received 


232  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

his  degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts,  from  Princeton  College,  in  the 
year  1761,  the  year  that  President  Davies  died.  He  was  then 
thirty -six  years  of  age. 

Some  part  of  his  preparatory  course  was  under  the  tuition  of 
Rev.  Robert  Smith,  of  Pequa,  the  father  of  John  B.  Smith,  so  fa- 
vorably known  in  Virginia  as  President  of  Hampden  Sydney  Col- 
lege, and  of  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  known  both  at  Hampden 
Sydney  and  Princeton.  After  receiving  his  degree  he  resorted  to 
school-teaching,  as  he  had  often  done  before,  and  passed  a  year  in 
that  employ  at  Cape  May.  Returning  to  Princeton,,  he  was  en- 
gaged in  the  duties  of  a  tutor  in  College,  and  in  the  study  of  theo- 
logy in  preparation  for  licensure.  He  was  taken  under  the  care  of 
New  Brunswick  Presbytery  at  its  meeting  in  Princeton,  Sept. 
28th,  1762,  having  given  the  brethren  "good  satisfaction  as  to  his 
motives  in  wishing  to  enter  the  ministry."  After  repeated  trial  of 
his  proficiency  and  aptness  to  teach,  he  was  licensed  by  that  Pres- 
bytery on  the  8th  of  June,  1763. 

He  left  no  account  of  his  Christian  experience,  or  of  the  trials 
and  labors  undergone  in  the  course  of  study,  preparatory  to  his 
entrance  upon  the  work  of  the  ministry.  Some  anecdotes  which 
have  been  treasured  up  as  having  fallen  from  his  lips,  illustrate  his 
spirit.  In  order  to  obtain  some  necessary  funds,  he  sold  his  undi- 
vided patrimony  to  his  brothers  ;  and  in  order  to  encourage  them 
to  make  greater  efforts  to  raise  the  money,  and  prevent  all  objec- 
tion, he  rated  his  share  much  below  its  real  value.  The  agreement 
was  verbal,  but  at  the  settlement  of  the  estate  he  confirmed  it  in 
writing,  making  a  journey  from  Carolina  expressly  for  that  pur- 
pose. While  in  college  he  pursued  his  studies  in  a  manner  that 
must  have  been  ruinous  to  most  men,  often  passing  the  night  in 
the  summer  season,  without  either  undressing  or  lying  down, 
sleeping  with  his  head  upon  his  crossed  arms,  under  the  open  win- 
dow ;  an  evidence  of  a  strong  constitution  and  untiring  persever- 
ance, rather  than  of  genius  or  prudence. 

After  supplying  various  vacancies  in  the  bounds  of  the  Presby- 
tery, from  the  time  of  his  licensure  till  the  following  summer,  Mr. 
Caldwell  visited  North  Carolina.  The  records  of  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  New  Jersey  have  the  following  minute  at  their 
meeting  in  Elizabethtown,  May  23d,  1764  :  "  Several  supplica- 
tions from  North  Carolina  were  presented,  earnestly  praying  for 
supplies,  which  were  read  and  urged  with  several  verbal  relations 
representing  the  state  of  the  country."  After  speaking  of  the  ap- 
pointment of  Mr.  Charles  Jef.  Smith  and  Mr.  Amos  Thompson  as 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  233 

missionaries,  the  minute  proceeds — "  Mr.  David  Caldwell,  a  can- 
didate, of  New  Brunswick,  is  appointed  to  go  as  soon  as  possible, 
but  not  to  defer  it  longer  than  next  fall,  and  supply  under  the 
direction  of  the  Hanover  Presbytery."  This  Presbytery  at  that 
time  was  the  only  one  south  of  the  Potomac  in  connection  with 
the  Synod,  and  its  boundaries  on  the  south  were  indefinite. 
There  was  an  independent  Presbytery  in  South  Carolina. 

While  Mr.  Caldwell  was  in  the  course  of  his  preparatory  studies 
for  college,  a  company  of  his  friends  emigrated  to  North  Carolina, 
and  took  their  residence  on  Buffalo  Creek  and  Reedy  Fork  ;  and 
before  their  departure  from  Pennsylvania,  made  overtures  to  him, 
that,  upon  his  being  licensed,  he  should  visit  them  in  their  new 
abode  for  the  purpose  of  becoming  their  preacher.  In  about  a 
year  after  he  commenced  preaching,  he  was  sent  as  a  missionary 
by  the  Synod  to  the  south,  and  passed  through  the  congregations 
and  settlements  in  the  upper  part  of  Carolina,  and,  among  others, 
the  settlements  of  his  old  friends.  The  emigration  had  been  con- 
tinued, and  many  pious  people  having  come  to  the  wilderness,  the 
congregation  of  Buffalo,  whose  place  of  worship  is  about  three 
miles  from  Greensborough,  had  been  organized  according  to  the 
rules  of  the  Church.  Settlements  had  been  formed  on  the  Ala- 
mance, and  in  1764,  the  year  of  his  visit,  the  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo, 
who  was  afterwards  the  minister  of  Hawfields  and  Little  River, 
organized  a  church  called  Alamance,  whose  preaching-place  is 
about  seven  miles  from  Greensborough,  and  about  the  same  dis- 
tance from  Buffalo. 

These  two  congregations  united  in  desiring  Mr.  Caldwell  for 
their  minister ;  though  of  different  sentiments  about  the  late 
divisions  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  both  were  orthodox  in  their 
creed,  and  firmly  attached  to  the  Presbyterian  forms  ;  but  the 
Buffalo  church  was  composed  of  members  that  were  of  the  Old 
Side,  as  they  were  termed,  and  the  Alamance  of  those  who  sided 
with  New  Light  or  New  Side,  or  as  they  sometimes  distinguished 
themselves,  followed  Whitefteld.  This  division  into  Old  Side  and 
New  Side  is  by  no  means  to  be  considered  as  similar  to  the  divi- 
sions made  some  years  since  in  the  Presbyterian  church  under  the 
names  of  Old  and  New  School.  The  latter  division  was,  in  a 
great  measure,  brought  about  by  different  sentiments  on  important 
theological  subjects  ;  the  former  principally  by  a  difference  about 
the  nature  of  revivals  and  proper  measures  to  be  used,  and  also 
the  proper  qualifications  for  the  ministerial  office.     The  full  and 


234  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

satisfactory  history  may  be  found  in  Hodge's  Constitutional  His- 
tory of  the  Presbyterian  church. 

Mr.  Caldwell's  appointment  as  a  missionary  was  renewed  next 
year  by  the  Synod.  Philadelphia,  May  20th,  1765.  "  In  conse- 
quence of  sundry  applications  from  North  Carolina  for  supplies, 
the  Synod  appoint  Messrs.  Nathan  Kerr,  George  Duffield,  William 
Ramsay,  David  Caldwell,  James  Latta,  and  Robert  McMordie,  to 
go  there  as  soon  as  they  can  conveniently,  and  each  of  them  to 
tarry  half  a  year  in  those  vacant  congregations,  as  prudence  may 
direct."  The  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  held  a  meeting  in 
Philadelphia,  and  took  the  necessary  steps  preparatory  to  the  or- 
dination of  Mr.  Caldwell ;  and  received  a  call  from  the  churches 
of  Buffalo  and  Alamance  for  his  ministerial  labors.  July  5th,  1765, 
at  Trenton,  New  Jersey,  he  was  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the 
gospel  ministry,  and  dismissed  to  join  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  ; 
and  as  the  congregations  making  the  call  were  under  the  care  of 
that  Presbytery,  he  was  directed  to  make  known  to  it  his  deter- 
mination respecting  the  acceptance.  He  proceeded  forthwith  to 
Carolina,  and  entered  upon  his  labors  as  minister  of  the  two  con- 
gregations ;  was  a  corresponding  member  of  Hanover  Presbytery 
at  its  meeting  at  the  Red  House,  Caswell  county,  June  4th,  1766. 
He  neither  joined  the  Presbytery  at  that  time,  nor  accepted  the  call 
of  the  two  churches  ;  and  it  was  not  till  the  1 1th  of  October,  1767, 
he  was  received  as  a  member,  and  not  till  the  3d  of  March,  1768, 
that  the  installation  services  were  performed,  in  compliance  with  a 
request  made  the  preceding  fall.  The  Rev.  Hugh  McAden  of  the 
Red  House,  preached  the  installation  service,  and  performed  the 
services  prescribed  by  the  form  of  government.  In  the  latter  part 
of  the  year  1766  he  was  married  to  Rachel,  the  third  daughter  of 
Rev.  Alexander  Craighead,  the  minister  at  Sugar  Creek,  and  became 
a  housekeeper  in  that  part  of  his  congregation  then  within  the 
bounds  of  Rowan  county,  previous  to  the  formation  of  Guilford 
from  Rowan  and  Orange,  the  place  of  his  residence  till  his  death, 
in  1824. 

As  the  congregations  had  promised  him  but  two  hundred  dollars 
salary,  he  felt  the  necessity,  from  the  first,  of  making  provision  for 
his  family,  and  accordingly  purchased  a  small  farm,  on  which 
through  life  he  depended  in  part  for  the  comforts  of  his  household. 
He  commenced,  too,  at  his  house  a  classical  school,  which,  with 
some  few  short  interruptions,  he  continued  till  the  infirmities  of  age 
disqualified  him  for  the  duties  of  teacher.  This  was  the  second 
classical  school  of  permanence,  and  perhaps  the  first  in  usefulness, 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  235 

in  the  upper  part  of  Carolina ;  that  in  Sugar  Creek  being  probably 
the  first ;  and  that  of  Mr.  Pattillo,  in  Granville,  being  the  third. 
Delighting  in  the  employment  of  teacher,  having  a  peculiar  tact 
for  the  management  of  boys,  and  being  thorough  in  his  course  of 
instruction,  his  school  flourished,  and  was  the  means,  during  the 
long  period  of  its  continuance,  of  bringing  more  men  into  the  learn- 
ed professions  than  any  other  taught  by  a  single  individual  or  by  a 
succession  of  teachers  during  the  same  period  of  time.  Five  of 
his  scholars  became  Governors  of  States ;  a  number  were  promoted 
to  the  bench,  of  whom  were  Murphy  and  McCoy  ;  a  larger  num- 
ber, supposed  about  fifty,  became  ministers  of  the  gospel,  of  whom 
were  Dr.  McCorkle,  of  Thyatria,  Dr.  Matthews,  of  New  Albany, 
Indiana,  Dr.  Brown,  of  Tennessee,  and  many  others  that  were 
shining  lights  ;  a  large  number  were  physicians  and  lawyers.  Of 
those  whose  names  have  been  mentioned  as  eminent,  most,  if  not 
all,  received  their  entire  classical  education  from  him,  and  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  in  addition  to  that,  their  theological  edu- 
cation ;  so  that,  for  a  time,  his  school  was  academy,  college,  and 
theological  seminary.  The  number  of  students  attending  was 
generally  from  fifty  lo  sixty  ;  and,  assembled  from  different  parts 
of  the  State,  put  his  powers  of  government  to  the  test.  These 
must  have  been  extraordinary  ;  as  it  is  not  recollected  by  any  of 
his  family,  or  any  of  his  pupils  living,  that  any  student  was  ever 
expelled,  or  sent  away  for  improper  conduct.  His  students  loved, 
reverenced,  and  obeyed  him.  And  such  was  the  impression  made 
upon  the  minds  of  those  under  his  discipline,  that  an  instance  was 
known  of  a  student,  with  whom  the  Dr.  was  compelled  to  be  very 
severe,  in  after  life  riding  more  than  two  hundred  miles,  for  the 
sole  purpose  of  revisiting  the  scenes  of  his  school  days,  and  once 
more  taking  the  Dr.  by  the  hand. 

There  were  frequent  times  of  revival  in  his  school.  An  aged 
minister  told  Mr.  Caruthers  that  himself  and  nine  of  his  schoolmates 
became  pious  while  under  his  tuition,  and  all  entered  the  ministry. 
The  influence  of  Mrs.  Caldwell  over  the  students  was  great,  and 
all  in  favor  of  religion  ;  on  that  subject  she  was  their  confidant 
and  adviser.  Intelligent,  prudent,  kind,  and  conciliating,  she  won 
their  hearts  and  directed  their  judgments,  and  the  current  saying 
through  the  country  was,  "  Dr.  Caldwell  makes  the  scholars,  and 
Mrs.  Caldwell  makes  the  ministers."  Multitudes  will  rise  and 
call  her  blessed.  The  Rev.  E.  B.  Currie,  still  living,  speaks  of 
her  as  a  wonderful  woman  to  counsel  and  encourage,  having  felt 
in  his  own  case  her  extraordinary  power,  while  a  member  of  the 


236  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

school.  A  precious  revival  took  place  under  the  ministrations  of 
Rev.  James  M'Gready,  who  visited  the  school,  and  was  the  happy- 
means  of  leading  many  to  Christ. 

In  addition  to  the  numerous  labors  belonging  to  his  multiplied 
callings,  the  condition  of  his  people  turned  his  attention  to  the 
practice  of  medicine.  There  being  no  physician  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, or  within  many  miles,  the  sick  turned  their  attention  to 
their  minister,  in  the  double  capacity  of  physician  for  the  soul  and 
for  the  body.  He  procured  some  books  and  read  carefully  ;  a 
physician  by  the  name  of  Woodsides  came  and  resided  a  year 
in  his  family,  and  practised  in  the  congregations  ;  at  his  death  Mr. 
Caldwell  came  in  possession  of  his  books ;  Dr.  Rush,  who  was 
a  college  mate,  was  his  correspondent  through  life  ;  with  these  ad- 
vantages, his  patience  and  perseverance  triumphed,  and  in  all  the 
common  diseases  of  the  country  he  became  celebrated,  and  also 
in  some  of  much  greater  difficulty.  He  continued  the  practice  of 
medicine  till  his  fourth  son  was  prepared  to  take  his  place  ;  and 
then,  except  in  very  special  cases,  he  declined  further  service. 

The  Rev.  E.  B.  Currie,  one  of  his  pupils,  says,  "  Dr.  Caldwell's 
life  was  rather  a  life  of  labor  than  of  study ;  and  when  we  con- 
sider that  he  had  a  large  school,  which  he  attended  five  days  in 
the  week ;  two  large  congregations  which  he  catechised  at  least 
twice  in  the  year  four  communions,  which  always  lasted  four 
days  each,  besides  his  visiting  the  sick,  frequently  preaching  in 
vacant  congregations,  etc.,  etc.,  we  can  see  there  was  not  much 
time  left  for  study ;  but  he  was  a  close  student  when  opportunity 
offered."  During  the  first  sixteen  or  eighteen  years  of  his  minis- 
try he  studied  closely.  Retiring  to  rest  at  ten,  and  rising  at  four, 
he  redeemed  time  for  regular  and  protracted  study.  His  library 
being  destroyed  during  the  war,  and  his  public  duties  increasing, 
as  his  strength  decayed,  he  was  of  necessity,  rather  than  inclina- 
tion, less  studious  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life.  That  he  might 
preserve  his  health,  he  was  strictly  temperate  in  eating  and  drink- 
ing, and  always  kept  some  work  of  manual  labor  of  importance 
ready,  to  exercise  himself  every  day,  when  not  called  from  home. 

At  a  meeting  of  Hanover  Presbytery,  held  at  Buffalo  meeting- 
house, March,  1770,  a  petition  was  prepared  for  Synod,  asking  for  a 
Presbytery  for  Carolina  and  the  South.  This  petition  was  grant- 
ed in  May,  and  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Hugh  McAden,  Henry  Pattillo, 
James  Criswell,  David  Caldwell,  Joseph  Alexander,  Hezekiah 
Balch,  and  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  were  constituted  a  Presbytery 
by  the  name  of  Orange,  to  meet  at  the  Hawfields  ;  and  the  Rev, 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTV.  237 

Henry  Pattillo,  the  pastor,  to  open  the  Presbytery  with  a  sermon. 
This  Presbytery  has  flourished  greatly,  its  congregations  are  nu- 
merous, and  at  the  present  time  there  are  three  Presbyteries  in  the 
State  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  bounds  occupied  by  this,  besides 
those  in  South  Carolina  which,  for  a  time,  were  reckoned  as  be- 
longing to  its  bounds. 

Dr.  Caldwell  and  Mr.  Pattillo  were  near  neighbors  for  a  few 
years.  Whether  Mr.  Pattillo  taught  school  during  the  five  or  six 
years  he  preached  at  the  Hawfields,  is  not  distinctly  known  ; 
that  he  did  after  his  removal,  and  for  a  long  time,  is  well  known ; 
and,  also,  that  his  circumstances  required  him  to  have  a  greater 
income  than  his  salary.  The  probability  is  that  he  pursued  a 
course  similar  to  that  pursued  by  Dr.  Caldwell.  The  famous 
Regulation  battle,  May  16th,  1771,  took  place  in  the  region  lying 
between  their  respective  fields  of  labor.  Both  congregations  were 
deeply  and  generally  involved  in  the  troubles  that  brought  the 
contest,  and  partook  fully  of  the  spirit  that  prompted  the  re- 
sistance, and  were  sharers  in  the  battle.  Of  the  part  that  Mr. 
Pattillo  took  we  have  no  account  left,  either  in  manuscript  or  tra- 
dition ;  but  from  his  after  history,  which  is  well  known,  we  feel 
at  no  loss  to  conjecture.  Dr.  Caldwell  sympathized  with  his 
congregations  in  their  troubles,  and  in  their  resistance.  That 
such  men  as  Pattillo  and  Caldwell  were  the  ministers  of  four  large 
congregations,  which  embraced  the  space  of  country  in  which  the 
principal  localities  of  the  Regulation  difficulties  are  found,  entirely 
forbids  the  idea  that  the  Regulators,  as  a  body,  were  untaught  and 
savage,  or  unprincipled  men.  The  congregations  of  these  men 
read  their  Bibles,  heard  no  indifferent  preaching  on  the  Sabbath, 
and  had  committed  the  admirable  formulary — the  Shorter  Cate- 
chism of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  which  they  were  taught  to 
believe,  and  to  reduce  to  practice  ;  and  if  they  read  few  other 
books,  and  seldom  saw  a  newspaper,  it  is  evident  they  understood 
the  laws  of  Nature  and  the  laws  of  God,  and  were  ready  to 
defend  the  privileges  and  rights  which  the  king's  officers  trampled 
on  then,  but  all  the  world  concedes  now. 

When  the  governor  was  marching  against  the  encampment  or 
gathering  of  the  Regulators,  with  the  evident  intention  of  giving 
them  battle,  the  cool  calculating  mind  of  Caldwell  clearly  saw  that 
the  probability  of  success  was  entirely  with  the  governor.  With 
him  were  officers  that  had  seen  service,  and  some  field  ordnance, 
and  men  that  had  been  disciplined  ;  on  the  other  side,  the  side  of 
his  friends,  was  courage,  a  sense  of  oppression,  confidence  in  the 


238  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

right  of  their  cause,  and  a  belief  that  the  governor  would  not 
attack  them,  and  could  not  beat  them  if  he  did, — but  no  discipline, 
no  field  ordnance,  no  experienced  military  officer,  not  even  a  com- 
mander-in-chief, or  a  council  of  commanders, — every  man  obeyed 
whom  he  chose,  and  few  chose  to  command. 

Dr.  Caldwell  visited  both  parties,  for  the  purpose  of  proposing 
terms  of  accommodation,  and  was  treated  with  respect  by  Tryon. 
On  the  morning  of  the  battle  he  had  an  interview  with  both,  still 
hoping  to  prevent  the  effusion  of  blood  ;  and  warned  by  an  old 
Scotchman,  who  understood  the  movements  in  the  governor's  line, 
he  had  left  the  ranks  of  the  Regulators  but  a  few  moments  before 
the  firing  began.  There  were  many  brave  spirits  from  the  con- 
gregations of  Buffalo  and  Alamance,  in  that  battle,  whom  no 
remonstrance  could  drive  from  the  ranks  and  fortunes  of  their 
fellow  Regulators.  That  the  loss  of  that  battle  was  not  owing  to 
want  of  courage,  may  be  argued  from  the  spirit  displayed  by  the 
people  of  these  congregations  during  the  war  which,  in  a  few 
years,  succeeded. 

The  battle  was  lost  to  the  Regulators,  and  in  the  murderous 
executions  that  followed,  there  was  evidence  that  some,  at  least, 
of  the  Regulators,  knew  how  to  die  like  men  and  Christians.  It 
is  by  no  means  improbable  that  the  proportion  of  such  in  the 
camp,  was  equally  as  great  as  in  the  prison.  That  there  were 
unprincipled  men  among  the  Regulators  is  well  known,  and  was 
regretted  then  as  much  as  criticised  now ;  but  that  the  mass  were 
men  of  principle  and  morals,  true  friends  of  their  country,  and 
lovers  of  liberty  and  law,  there  is  less  doubt  now  than  there  was 
then.  If  living  in  log  cabins,  with  none  of  the  luxuries  of  life, 
makes  men  vulgar,  and  lawless,  and  ignorant,  then  these  men 
were  all  their  enemies  charged  upon  them,  and  merited  neither 
success  nor  sympathy.  But  if  devotion  to  principles  and  country 
makes  men  patriots,  then  the  graves  of  the  Regulators  are  the 
bed  of  the  "  Sons  of  Liberty." 

The  executions  being  finished,  and  the  oath  of  allegiance  be- 
ing administered,  the  governor  left  the  country  in  triumph,  trust- 
ing to  the  binding  force  of  an  oath  to  preserve  the  peace  and  quiet 
he  vainly  supposed  were  established  in  the  State.  His  trust  in 
the  binding  influence  of  the  oath  was  not  misplaced,  for  these 
men  had  knowledge,  and  they  had  a  conscience ;  they  dreaded 
the  judgment  of  Him  who  has  said  that  liars  shall  not  have  a 
portion  in  the  heavenly  inheritance.  When  the  national  Declara- 
tion of  Independence  was  made,  and  the  war  of  the  Revolution 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  239 

was  begun,  then  commenced,  in  the  counties  of  Orange  and  Rowan, 
and  those  formed  from  them  to  break  up  the  influence  of 
the  Regulators,  the  contest  in  many  a  brave  man's  mind  between 
his  love  of  liberty  and  his  sense  of  obligation.  By  his  oath  he  had 
saved  his  property,  and  perhaps  his  life  ;  by  his  condition  his  heart 
was  with  his  countrymen.  Must  he  serve  his  king  or  join  with  his 
countrymen  ?  Here  the  patriotism  and  cool  calculation  of  Dr. 
Caldwell  manifested  itself.  He  argued  with  his  people  that  alle- 
giance and  protection  were  inseparable  ;  that  as  the  king  had  not 
protected  them  from  the  rapacity  which  had  driven  them  to  rebel- 
lion on  a  former  occasion,  and  wras  not  able  to  assert  his  authority 
over  the  country  now,  their  oath  of  allegiance,  which  had  been 
exacted  by  force,  was  no  longer  binding.  The  independent  State 
of  North  Carolina  demanded  their  services,  and  the  Congress  of 
the  United  Colonies  called  for  their  aid  ;  to  fight  for  the  king  would 
be  to  resist  the  established  government.  With  some  the  argument 
was  satisfactory ;  they  took  up  arms  and  served  through  the  war ; 
others  remained  neutral ;  and  some  few  took  arms  for  the  king. 
The  active  tories  were  from  another  race  of  people  in  Orange. 

By  the  erection  of  the  county  of  Guilford,  in  1770,  from  the 
counties  of  Orange  and  Rowan,  the  congregation  of  Buffalo  em- 
braced the  centre,  and  had  the  county-seat  within  its  bounds,  a  few 
miles  from  the  residence  of  Dr.  Caldwell.  Guilford  Court-house 
will  be  known  as  long  as  the  history  of  the  American  Revolution 
is  read ;  and  the  sufferings  and  bravery  of  the  four  large  congre- 
gations of  Eno,  Hawfields,  Buffalo,  and  Alamance,  can  never  be 
unknown  while  constancy  and  bravery  are  admired.  These  con- 
gregations were  the  scene  of  the  plunderings  of  the  hungry,  needy, 
irritated  army  of  Cornwallis,  after  he  had  burned  his  baggage  and 
lost  the  object  of  his  pursuit,  and  found  himself  far  from  his  stores, 
and  in  an  enemy's,  country.  The  detail  of  plundered  houses,  in- 
sulted women,  and  murdered  men,  is  too  sickening  to  be  dwelt 
upon.  The  catalogue  of  sufferings  would  fill  a  volume.  And  of 
these  Dr.  Caldwell  had  his  full  share.  His  house  was  plundered, 
his  library  and  valuable  papers  destroyed,  his  property  stolen,  and 
he  himself,  watched  for  as  a  felon,  passed  nights  in  the  woods  in  a 
secret  place.  He  heard  the  roar  of  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
house, and  rejoiced  in  the  consequent  retreat  of  Cornwallis.  But 
his  joy  was  mingled  with  sorrow,  for  the  victory  was  purchased 
with  the  blood  of  some  of  his  people.  But  with  the  retreat  of 
Cornwallis,  the  savage  warfare  between  whigs  and  tories  raged 
more  violently  for  a  time,  and  then  came  to  an  end ;  and  the  dis- 


240  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

tressed  congregation  of  Dr.  Caldwell  had  a  respite  from  the  horrors 
of  war. 

It.  is  a  fact  worthy  of  observation,  that  the  track  of  the  armies 
through  North  Carolina,  previous  to  the  battle  of  Guilford,  em- 
braced the  residence  of  the  Scotch-Irish,  and  Scotch  families, 
and  put  to  the  test  the  solemn  asseveration  in  the  two  declarations 
that  the  cause  of  independence  should  be  defended  at  the  cost  of 
"life, fortune,  and  most  sacred  honor."  How  far  Dr.  Caldwell 
was  prepared  to  vindicate  that  pledge,  can  be  seen  in  the  extended 
account  of  his  trials  and  sufferings,  given  by  Mr.  Caruthers. 
Slow  to  engage  in  warfare,  timorous  in  provoking  bloodshed, 
when  the  warfare  and  the  battle  came  he  stood  his  ground  pre- 
pared to  suffer,  with  his  flock,  the  last  extremity,  and  escaped 
captivity  and  death  only  by  the  special  providence  of  God.  Many 
and  many  a  time  did  the  British  and  tories  lie  in  wait  for  him, 
and  watch  his  house,  and  make  sudden  visits,  and  use  false  pre- 
tences to  draw  him  from  his  hiding-place  ;  and  once  so  well  was 
the  story  feigned,  that  the  prudence  and  foresight  of  his  wife  was 
overreached,  and  the  hiding-place  discovered.  But  God  pre- 
served him  in  all  emergencies,  that  God  in  whom  he  put  his 
trust,  and  when  the  enemy  were  rejoicing  that  now,  at  last,  he 
was  discovered,  they  found  his  rude  shelter  deserted. 

After  the  peace,  Dr.  Caldwell's  labors  as  teacher  and  preacher 
returned  upon  him  with  increased  weight.  Though  by  his  own 
vote  in  the  convention  of  1776,  which  formed  the  constitution  of 
the  State  of  North  Carolina,  and  drew  up  the  Bill  of  Rights,  he 
could  not  be  a  member  of  the  legislature  without  laying  down  his 
ministerial  office,  his  influence  with  political  men  was  rather  in- 
creased, and  his  unobtrusive  opinions  carried  great  weight  with 
all  that  knew  him.  Pattillo  was  member  of  the  first  Provincial 
Congress,  in  1775,  and  Caldwell  of  the  State  Convention,  in 
1776.  It  is  a  matter  of  tradition  that  he  drew  up  the  32d  article  : 
"  That  no  person  who  shall  deny  the  being  of  God,  or  the  truth 
of  the  Protestant  religion,  or  the  divine  authority  either  of  the  Old 
or  New  Testament,  or  who  shall  hold  religious  principles  incom- 
patible with  freedom  and  safety  of  the  State,  shall  be  capable  of 
holding  any  office  or  place  of  trust  or  profit,  in  the  civil  depart- 
ment within  the  State."  The  preceding  section  disqualifies 
preachers  of  the  gospel  for  the  legislative  functions,  in  virtue  of 
their  office.  The  convention  of  1835,  to  amend  the  constitution, 
changed  the  word  "  Protes tant"  in  the  32d  section  to  "  Chris- 
tian" 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  241 

Dr.  Caldwell  harmonized  with  the  paper  drawn  up  by  Dr. 
Ephraim  Brevard,  in  the  fall  of  1775,  which  probably  he  never 
saw  ;  both  felt  that  anti-protestant  belief  in  religion  was  anti-republi- 
can, and  therefore  not  to  be  encouraged  ;  both  desired  freedom  of 
conscience  for  all  Protestant  denominations ;  neither  asked  any 
reprisals  on  the  denomination  that  had  been  the  favorite  of  the 
crown,  and  the  State  religion  of  the  colony  ;  neither  desired  any 
privileges  for  their  own ;  both  desired  that  the  Protestant  religion 
should  be  the  religion  of  the  State,  and  that  all  denominations 
should  be  equally  free  from  all  disabilities  and  all  patronage, 
fully  believing  that  religion  would  support  itself. 

While  Dr.  Caldwell  sought  public  favor  neither  for  himself  nor 
his  family,  public  favor  sought  them.  When  the  present  system 
of  district  courts  went  into,  operation,  there  were  many  applica- 
tions to  the  judge,  for  the  office  of  clerk  of  Guilford  county.  On  the 
day  of  opening  the  court,  public  expectation  was  high,  from  the 
number  of  candidates,  and  the  uncommitted  silence  of  the  judge. 
Calling  to  Lawyer  Cameron,  then  at  the  bar,  now  Judge  Cameron 
of  Raleigh,  he  requested  him  to  act  as  clerk  that  day,  and  also  to  see 
if  Dr.  Caldwell  was  on  the  ground.  To  both  of  these  requests, 
Mr.  Cameron  assented  ;  and  finding  the  old  gentleman  in  the  midst 
of  a  circle  of  his  friends,  he  introduced  him  to  the  judge's  room. 
After  a  kind  salutation  from  his  former  pupil,  the  Dr.  was  surprised 
by  the  inquiry,  "  Have  you  a  son  qualified  for  the  office  of  clerk  of 
this  county  ?"  After  some  reflection,  he  replied  that  he  thought 
not,  as  none  of  them  had  been  educated  in  prospect  of  such  em- 
ployment. After  some  persuasion  from  the  judge,  he  agreed  "  to 
go  home  and  look  them  over,  and  give  him  word  the  next  day." 
As  not  a  word  of  this  was  public,  expectation  was  higher  than  ever, 
as  the  applicants  saw  Mr.  Cameron  act  as  clerk,  and  not  a  single 
intimation  from  the  judge  who  should  fill  the  office.  The  next 
morning,  the  Dr.  appeared  at  the  judge's  room,  and  entered  with 
one  of  his  sons  ;  saluting  the  judge,  and  turning  to  his  son,  "  Here, 
judge,  I  have  done  the  best  I  could."  McCoy  conferred  on  him 
the  office  ;  and  neither  the  judge  nor  the  county  have  had  cause 
to  regret  the  appointment. 

During  the  last  war,  when  a  draught  was  called  for  from  Guil- 
ford, and  the  attempt  to  meet  the  demand  by  volunteers  was  likely 
to  fail  from  the  great  reluctance  of  the  citizens  to  go  to  the  sea- 
shore of  a  neighboring  State,  whose  fame  for  healthiness  ranked 
no  higher  than  Norfolk  did  at  the  time,  Dr.  Caldwell,  by  request, 
addressed  the  people  in  the  court-house.     Tlnough  infirmity,  he 

16 


242  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

was  carried  to  the  magistrate's  bench  ;  and  having  preached  from 
the  words,  "  He  that  hath  no  sword,  let  him  sell  his  garment  and 
buy  one  ;"  with  all  the  infirmities  of  age  upon  him,  he  produced 
such  a  feeling  among  the  young  men,  that  the  required  list  was 
immediately  filled  out.  This  was  patriotic  in  him,  who,  knowing 
the  horrible  evils  attending  armies,  was  opposed  to  the  war  in  the 
commencement ;  but  in  its  advancement,  remembered  that  he  was 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  and  that  he  must  stand  or  fall  with 
his  country. 

Dr.  Caldwell  knew  what  affliction  was  from  experience,  for 
God  saw  it  not  best  that  his  laborious  servant  should  fulfil  his 
ministry  without  sharp  trials.  And  in  choosing  his  afflictions,  the 
Lord  his  Saviour  proportioned  their  measure  to  his  usefulness  and 
influence,  sending  upon  him  as  bitter  a  cup  as  could  probably  have 
come  to  him,  without  the  ingredients  of  sinfulness  or  death. 
First,  a  daughter  of  superior  endowments  and  liberal  education, 
gave  evidence  that  reason  had  lost  its  dominion  ;  and  all  the  skill 
of  his  friend  Rush  could  not  bring  it  back  to  its  throne.  Then  a 
son,  and  then  another  son,  was  added  to  the  list  by  a  mysterious 
providence.  The  venerable  parents  bowed  in  submission  ;  and  in 
meekness  and  parental  fondness  watched  over  these  erratic,  yet 
not  harmful  children.  They  never  recovered  the  right  use  of 
their  reason.  The  son  that  preached  for  a  time  at  Rocky  River, 
was  splendid  in  his  ruins. 

When  the  University  of  North  Carolina  went  into  operation,  he 
declined  being  considered  a  candidate  for  the  Presidency.  As  a 
mark  of  their  respect  for  his  character  and  usefulness,  the  trustees 
conferred  upon  him  the  degree  of  D.D.,  at  an  early  stage  of  their 
proceedings,  when  a  spirit,  not  the  most  friendly  to  religion,  was 
exercising  a  temporary  influence  in  their  councils. 

Dr.  Caldwell  continued  his  pastoral  services  till  about  the  year 
1820  ;  often,  from  weariness,  on  his  return  home,  requiring  assist- 
ance to  dismount,  and  being  carried  into  his  house.  On  the  25th  of 
August,  1824,  he  literally  fell  asleep,  to  wake  no  more  till  the 
Resurrection,  his  earthly  pilgrimage  having  continued  a  period 
lacking  only  about  seven  months  of  a  hundred  years.  He  went  to 
his  grave  like  a  shock  of  corn  fully  ripe. 

One  of  his  sons  was  for  many  years  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek,  the 
congregation  of  his  grandfather  Craighead ;  and  one  of  his  grand- 
sons for  a  term  of  years  ministered  to  the  same  congregation. 
"  The  seed  of  the  righteous  is  blessed." 

Mrs.  Caldwell  survived  her  husband  less  than  a  year ;  and  de- 


CHURCHES    IN    GUILFORD    COUNTY.  243 

parted  in  the  exercise  of  a  good  hope,  through  grace,  of  everlasting 
life.  Her  remains  were  laid  beside  those  of  Dr.  Caldwell.  A 
marble  slab  marks  the  place  of  sepulture  of  this  venerable  pair, 
near  Buffalo  church,  the  place  in  which  they  had  so  often  wor- 
shipped God. 

There  is  an  interesting  tradition  connected  with  the  family  of 
William  Paisley,  of  Alamance.  The  well-attested  facts  and  dates 
respecting  Mrs.  Paisley,  mother  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  Paisley,  as 
received  from  the  son,  are — That  she  used  to  say  that  she  had  no 
recollection  of  ever  seeing  father,  mother,  brother,  or  sister  ;  that 
it  was  understood  that  the  Indians  killed  her  father,  and  that  her 
mother  died  soon  after  him  ;  that  Mr.  Smith  and  Mr.  Clack  used 
to  say,  the  Indians  had  the  child ;  that  she  never  spoke  of  her 
captivity ;  that  she  was  reared  and  educated  by  the  Rev.  James 
Davenport,  of  Pennington  ;  that  she  went  to  school  to  a  Mr.  Ches- 
nut,  an  Englishman,  about  twenty  miles  from  Philadelphia ;  that 
William  Paisley  became  acquainted  with  her  there,  and  gaining 
her  affections,  he  took  her  to  Philadelphia,  where  they  were  married 
by  Rev.  William  Tennant,  in  the  year  1763,  in  her  20th  year;  that 
they  went  to  Princeton,  and  lived  there  till  after  the  birth  of  their  eldest 
son,  and  then  removed  to  North  Carolina.  The  tradition  in  Jersey 
about  this  lady  is — That  the  Rev.  James  Davenport,  whose  wife's 
maiden  name  was  Paine,  was  from  New  England,  and  settled  first 
on  Long  Island,  in  New  York,  and  from  thence  removed  to  Pen- 
nington, New  Jersey,  and  was  pastor  of  the  church  there  for  many 
years  ;  that  he  obtained  the  child  from  the  Indians,  gave  it  the 
name  of  Deliverance  Paine,  and  reared  it  carefully  as  his  own. 

Miss  Sally  Martin  and  Miss  Phoebe  Davis  lived  together  a  long 
time  in  Princeton,  New  Jersey,  taught  school,  and  had  the  first 
instruction  of  almost  all  the  children  of  the  place.  Miss  Davis  is 
still  living  (1846).  These  ladies  used  to  tell  the  children  about 
little  Dilly  Paine,  as  is  well  recollected  by  some  that  went  to  school 
to  them,  and  re-affirmed  by  Miss  Davis,  upon  inquiry,  in  1844  ; 
that  the  Indians  brought  her  along  and  claimed  her  as  theirs,  and  said 
she  had  no  parents ;  but  would  not  tell  where  nor  how  they  got  her, 
nor  give  her  up  to  the  white  people  ;  that  getting  out  of  provisions, 
and  having  nothing  to  buy  with,  and  becoming  wearied  of  carrying 
the  child  with  them,  they  sold  her  to  Mr.  Davenport,  for  a  loaf  of 
bread  and  a  bottle  of  rum.  With  him  the  little  orphan  grew  up 
and  lived  till  her  removal  to  Carolina. 


244  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

NEW  PROVIDENCE  AND  ITS  MINISTERS. 

About  twelve  miles  south  of  Charlotte,  on  one  of  the  routes  to 
Camden,  you  wTill  find  in  a  beautiful  oak  grove,  through  which  the 
great  road  passes,  the  place  of  assemblage  for  the  worship  of  God, 
of  the  church  and  congregation  of  New  Providence,  or  Providence, 
as  it  is  now  more  commonly  called.  Here,  as  in  revolutionary 
times,  are  gathered  from  Sabbath  to  Sabbath,  the  inhabitants  of  a 
large  section  of  country,  which  was  the  scene  of  many  thrilling  in- 
cidents, when  Lord  Cornwallis,  with  his  royal  army,  tested  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  North  Carolina  Presbyterians.  The  name  of  the  con- 
gregation was  adopted  from  one  in  Pennsylvania,  and  as  an  acknow- 
ledgment of  a  kind  providence  in  the  circumstances  of  the  settle- 
ment of  the  congregation,  particularly  in  their  being  unmolested  by 
the  Indians. 

Owing  to  the  distance  of  this  country  from  a  printing  press,  be- 
fore and  for  some  time  after  the  revolution,  few  books  or  pamphlets 
are  to  be  found  under  the  name  of  any  of  the  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters that  labored  so  unremittingly  among  the  churches  of  this  inte- 
resting population.  The  law  of  custom  had  decided  that  the  de- 
struction of  manuscripts  was  a  part  of  preparation  for  death,  as 
solemn  and  indispensable  as  the  making  the  last  will  and  testament. 
Very  little  of  the  records  of  the  thoughts  of  these  men  have  been 
preserved  from  this  destruction.  And  the  unfortunate  burning  of 
some  houses,  together  with  the  carelessness  of  those  who  might 
have  rescued  some  things  from  oblivion,  leaves  the  present  genera- 
tion in  wondering  ignorance  of  the  trials,  and  energy,  and  princi- 
ples of  those  brave  and  excellent  men. 

The  grave  of  but  one  minister  is  found  in  the  burial-place  at 
Providence.  Step  into  the  yard  a  few  paces  from  the  church,  and 
among  the  chiselled  names  of  Stitt,  Potts,  McKee,  Rea,  Patterson, 
McCullock,  and  Matthews,  the  oldest  of  which  bears  date  of  1764, 
you  will  find  the  plain  monument  of  Wallis,  who  served  the  con- 
gregation from  1792  till  1819.  His  mother's  monument  you  will 
find  in  the  old  grave-yard  of  Sugar  Creek,  in  the  corner  opposite  to 
Craighead's  sassafras  trees.     Of  the  previous  ministers  the  accounts 


NEW  PROVIDENCE    AND    ITS    MINISTERS.  245 

are  scanty,  especially  as  the  congregation  was  not  so  fortunate  as 
some  of  its  neighbors  in  retaining  its  ministers  for  a  protracted 
period.  Of  Mr.  Wallis,  we  shall  say  more  in  the  close  of  this 
chapter. 

Settlements  in  the  bounds  of  this  congregation  were  made  about 
the  same  time  as  those  in  Sugar  Creek,  and  Steel  Creek,  and  Rocky 
River,  and  by  the  same  kind  of  emigrants.  The  first  ministerial 
labors  the  settlement  enjoyed,  beside  what  they  could  receive  from 
Mr.  Craighead,  were  from  the  Rev.  William  Richardson,  who  was 
licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  at  a  meeting  at  Capt.  Anderson's, 
in  Cumberland,  Virginia,  Jan.  25th  1758.  On  the  18th  of  July 
following,  at  the  first  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  after  the  union  of 
the  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  held  in  Cumberland, 
Mr.  Richardson  and  Mr.  Pattillo  were  ordained.  He  was  appointed 
to  attend  at  Rocky  River  on  the  27th  of  the  September  following, 
to  perform  the  installation  services  for  Mr.  Craighead,  beino-  on 
his  way  to  the  Cherokees.  How  long  he  remained  with  the  Chero- 
kees  is  not  known.  In  1761,  he  is  reported  as  having  left  Hanover 
Presbytery,  and  joined  the  Presbytery  in  South  Carolina,  not  in  con- 
nection with  the  Synod.  In  1762,  the  Presbytery  sustained  his 
reasons  for  joining  that  Presbytery  without  dismission  from  his  own, 
with  which  he  was  in  regular  connection. 

Mr.  Richardson  was  the  maternal  uncle  of  the  famous  Wm.  Rich- 
ardson Davie,  so  noted  in  the  southern  war,  adopted  him  as  his 
son,  superintended  his  education,  and  made  him  heir  of  an  estate, 
every  shilling  of  which  Davie  expended  in  equipping  the  corps  of 
which  he  was  made  Major  in  1780. 

How  long  he  preached  in  Providence  is  not  known.  His  resi- 
dence was  in  South  Carolina. 

The  first  elders  in  the  church  were  Andrew  Rea,  Archibald 
Crocket,  Joshua  Ramsey,  and  Aaron  Howie.  For  some  time  pre- 
vious to  the  organization  of  the  church  in  1765,  there  had  been 
but  one  place  acknowledged  as  the  place  of  worship  by  the  people 
of  this  congregation,  and  that  is  the  grove  where  the  meeting-house 
now  stands,  in  the  shade  of  whose  trees  the  first  public  worship  was 
celebrated  until  a  house  wTas  built. 

In  1766,  there  is  a  notice  on  the  records  of  the  Synod  of  "  a  call 
for  settlement  among  them,  from  Steel  Creek  and  New  Providence." 
About  this  time  Mr.  Robert  Henry,  who  gathered  the  church  on 
Cub  Creek,  Virginia,  resolved,  after  ministering  to  that  charge  for  a 
number  of  years,  to  leave  them  ;  and  an  engagement  was  made  for 
his  services   in  these  two  congregations.     By  the  records  of  the 


246  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Hanover  Presbytery,  it  appears  he  was  dismissed  from  Cub  Creek 
in  1766 ;  and  his  death  is  reported  to  the  Presbytery  as  having 
taken  place  May  8th,  1767. 

The  following  articles  of  agreement  between  Providence  and 
Clear  Creek  (now  called  Philadelphia)  have  been  preserved  by 
Wm.  Queary.  "  Whereas,  the  representation  of  both  congrega- 
tions doth  unanimously  agree  among  themselves,  in  the  names  of 
both  the  aforesaid  congregations,  to  stand  and  abide  by  each  other 
from  time  to  time  through  all  difficulties,  in  order  to  obtain  the 
labors  of  a  gospel  minister,  that  is  to  say,  the  one-half  of  his 
labors  to  one  congregation,  and  the  other  to  the  other.  And  for  a 
true  and  sincere  union  for  the  truth  of  the  aforesaid  articles,  the 
representation  of  both  congregations  hath  hereunto  subscribed  their 
names,  Jan.  27th,  1770.  New  Providence — John  Ramsey,  James 
Linn,  John  Hagens,  James  Houston,  Andrew  Reah,  James  Draffen, 
James  Johnston,  James  Teate,  Thomas  Black,  Robert  Stewart : 
Clear  Creek — Adam  Alexander,  Matthew  Stewart,  John  Queary, 
Michael  Ligget,  John  Ford." 

Two  of  the  above  names  appear  in  the  list  of  the  Mecklenburg 
Declaration,  viz : — Adam  Alexander  and  John  Queary,  which 
shows  that  the  men  were  public-spirited  men,  that  formed  this  rep- 
resentation. But  we  have  no  memoranda  now  to  inform  us  of  the 
effects  of  this  union  upon  the  religious  concerns  of  the  congregation. 
Neither  have  we  any  detailed  account  of  the  ecclesiastical  concerns 
of  the  congregation  during  the  arduous  struggle  of  the  Revolution. 
It  is  known  that  Thomas  Reese  preached  in  Mecklenburg  for  some 
time  when  the  other  congregations  were  generally  supplied  with  at 
least  some  part  of  the  services  of  a  minister  ;  and  that  from  his  pen 
emanated  some  of  the  effective  papers  that  moved  the  inhabitants  of 
Mecklenburg  ;  he  is  supposed  to  have  given  some  part  of  his  time 
to  Providence.  Mr.  McRee  came  from  Steel  Creek  to  supply  the 
pulpit,  for  some  time,  as  he  says  he  often  rode  from  home  to  preach 
for  them  on  the  Sabbath.  Mr.  Archibald  came  over  from  Rocky 
River  and  Poplar  Tent,  and  supplied  them  for  a  season.  The  Rev. 
David  Barr  labored  in  the  bounds  for  some  time,  but  did  not  make 
it  his  permanent  residence. 

The  congregation  lying  on  the  route  of  the  armies  moving  north 
or  south,  suffered  its  full  share  in  the  plunderings  which,  by  the 
account  of  the  British  historians,  were  severe,  at  the  time  Cornwallis 
moved  on  to  Charlotte.  The  night  before  he  approached  that  village, 
he  encamped  in  Providence,  on  the  ground  occupied  by  Colonel 
Davie,  with  the  few  American  forces  that  behaved  so  nobly  when 


NEW   PROVIDENCE    AND    ITS    MINISTERS.  247 

united  to  the  few  militia  and  volunteers  that  joined  them  in  Char- 
lotte, "  keeping  in  check  the  whole  British  army."  The  greatest 
trial  in  the  war  was  upon  those  neighborhoods  and  sections  of  coun- 
try subjected  to  the  plunderings  of  the  army  of  the  king.  It  was 
not  a  sudden  and  great  danger,  or  even  bloodshed,  in  a  good  cause, 
by  assault  or  regular  battle,  in  which  the  excitement  of  the  occasion 
carries  the  spirit  triumphant  through.  But  an  annoyance  in  the 
smaller  matters  of  property,  and  the  private  concerns ;  a  taking 
away  of  the  comfort  of  domestic  life,  a  harassing  of  defenceless  fe- 
males and  helpless  age  and  children ;  and  this  continued  from  day 
to  day,  when  all  the  enthusiasm  of  excitement  had  spent  its  force  ; 
and  principle  itself  could  scarce  sustain  the  accumulated  weight  of 
numberless  petty  privations  and  aggravations,  crowned  as  they 
sometimes  were  with  conflagration  and  butchery,  that  entailed  exile 
or  poverty.  It  is  a  matter  of  admiration  that  under  the  pressure  of 
all  these  evils  so  few  of  the  inhabitants  in  Mecklenburg  ever  thought 
of  deserting  the  cause  of  liberty,  or  of  "  taking  protection,"  though 
many  families  saw  their  wealth  swept  with  a  merciless  hand.  And 
the  few  that  yielded  in  the  trial  were  subjects  of  commiseration 
rather  than  of  severe  censure  and  harsh  denunciation. 

James  Wallis,  who  was  the  first  minister  that  gave  protracted 
service  to  Providence,  spent  his  ministerial  life  in  the  congregation. 
He  was  born  in  1762,  in  Sugar  Creek,  son  of  Ezekiel  Wallis.  His 
early  education  was  at  Liberty  Hall  in  Charlotte  ;  and  his  college 
course  was  completed  at  Winnsborough,  South  Carolina,  under  Dr. 
Barr.  He  was  ordained  pastor  in  1792,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Or- 
ange, and  never  changed  his  congregation  till  death. 

Soon  after  entering  upon  his  office  in  this  congregation,  com- 
menced a  new  and  till  then  unknown  conflict  about  the  Bible. 
That  the  Presbyterian  ministers  south  of  Yadkin  had  been  true  pa- 
triots, no  man  in  the  country,  or  in  the  British  army,  pretended  to 
deny.  Their  names  were  not  unknown  in  the  camp  ;  and  the  pul- 
pits of  the  seven  churches  poured  forth  the  highest  intellectual  ef- 
forts in  discussing  the  rights  of  man,  and  sustaining  the  sinking 
spirits  of  the  distressed  country,  by  the  abounding  consolations  of 
the  word  of  God.  The  minister  and  his  congregation  prayed, — the 
father  in  his  family  prayed, — the  soldier  in  his  tent,  and  in  the 
woods,  prayed, — and  the  commander  at  the  head  of  the  forces  often 
commenced  the  march  with  prayer.  And  it  was  no  idle  form  of 
prayer,  but  a  pouring  out  of  the  heart  to  God  Almighty  for  his  pro- 
tection in  the  struggle  for  liberty  and  truth. 

Dr.  Robinson,  of  Poplar  Tent,  used  to  tell  an  anecdote  of  an  old 


248  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

gentleman,  by  the,  name  of  Alexander,  in  one  of  the  neighboring 
congregations,  that  did  not  think  of  neglecting  his  religious  duties 
though  called  into  camp  as  a  soldier.  Being  sent  out  to  intercept 
some  tories,  very  early  one  morning,  when  his  post  was  assigned 
him,  with  the  general  orders  to  wait  their  near  approach  and  take 
sure  aim,  he  took  the  opportunity  for  a  few  moments  of  devotion. 
Taking  off  his  hat  he  knelt  down  in  the  attitude  of  a  worshipper ; 
upon  the  near  approach  of  the  enemy  he  resumed  his  post  and 
waited  the  signal.  The  unhappy  tory  that  encountered  the  shot  of 
his  rifle  fell  dead.  The  whole  party  of  tories  were  soon  dispersed 
or  taken.  As  in  the  time  of  Cromwell  the  praying  soldiers  did  not 
run  or  play  the  coward. 

When  the  war  was  over,  then  came  the  other  contest  of  fearful 
import,  whose  influence  was  felt  everywhere,  but  nowhere  in  Caro- 
lina with  more  violence  than  in  Mecklenburg  county.  The  author- 
ity of  the  king  had  been  discussed  and  set  aside ;  the  battle  between 
the  crown  and  the  people  had  been  fought,  and  won  by  the  people. 
Then  came  the  discussion  about  the  dominion  of  conscience — what 
should  govern  conscience,  philosophy  or  the  Bible  ?  Should  philo- 
sophy dictate  to  the  Bible,  or  the  Bible  to  all  the  world  ?  The 
authority  of  the  Bible  underwent  a  sifting  discussion,  such  as  Caro- 
lina had  never  seen,  and  may  never  see  again.  From  the  nature  of 
the  case  that  discussion  was  vehement  in  Mecklenburg,  and  from 
accidental  circumstances  embittered  in  Providence.  A  debating 
society,- — and  debating  societies  for  political  purposes  were  common 
in  those  days, — was  formed  in  the  region  of  country  embracing  a 
part  of  Sugar  Creek,  and  Steel  Creek  and  Providence,  and  furnished 
with  a  circulating  library,  replete  with  infidel  philosophy  and  infi- 
del sentiments  on  religion  and  morality.  Everything  of  a  religious 
nature  was  called  in  question  and  discussed ;  and  the  standard  of 
opposition  was  raised  with  a  boldness  becoming  a  better  cause. 
Caldwell  of  Sugar  Creek,  and  Wallis  of  Providence,  brothers  in  the 
ministry,  and  sons-in-law  of  John  M'Knitt  Alexander,  were  in  the 
hottest  of  the  battle,  as  infidelity  is  never  so  outrageous  as  when  it 
takes  its  seat,  or  strives  to  take  it,  in  a  Christian  community. 

With  different  natural  temperament,  they  met  the  strife  like 
courageous  men:  Caldwell,  cool,  clear  and  amiable,  and  loved 
where  he  could  not  convince ;  Wallis,  clear,  strong,  ardent,  and 
more  dreaded  though  less  loved ;  both  unfaltering,  and  unwearied 
and  honored.  Caldwell  left  politics  to  other  hands,  and  preached 
the  gospel ;  Wallis  proclaimed  the  great  principles  of  democracy 
as  part  of  his  creed ;  and  asserted,  with  them,  the  unlimited  control 


NEW  PROVIDENCE    AND    ITS    MINISTERS.  249 

of  the  word  of  God  in  all  matters  pertaining  to  conscience,  whether 
public  or  private.  He  prepared  a  pamphlet  in  which  were  con- 
densed the  arguments  of  Watson,  Paley  and  Leslie,  and  circulated 
it  among  his  people  and  through  the  country.  A  pamphlet  as  well 
calculated  to  produce  the  effect  designed — the  exhibition  of  the  evi- 
dences of  revelation  in  contradiction  to  all  infidel  notions — has  sel- 
dom been  issued  from  the  press.  A  reprint  would  be  advantageous 
where  discussion  on  the  subject  of  revelation  is  called  for. 

The  debating  society  embraced  wealth  and  talent,  and  for  a  time 
maintained  the  contest  with  spirit.  Emigration  to  Tennessee,  in 
which  the  library  was  carried  across  the  mountains,  and  the  great 
revival  of  1802  broke  it  up. 

While  this  discussion  was  going  on,  and  men  were  arguing  for 
and  against  the  Bible  with  excited  and  sometimes  angry  feelings, 
another  cause  of  unhappiness  arose.  Mr.  WTallis  had  occasion  to 
be  absent  a  few  Sabbaths,  and  obtained  the  favor  of  Rev.  Wm.  C. 
Davis,  to  supply  his  pulpit  one  Sabbath.  Mr.  Davis,  on  the  day 
of  his  supply,  made  use  of  the  version  of  Psalms  by  Watts.  As 
the  congregation  had  never  agreed  to  introduce  this  version,  and  as 
many  families  were  opposed  to  their  use  in  public  worship,  offence 
was  taken ;  and  the  blame  was  thrown  on  Mr.  Wallis  as  having 
been  privy  to  the  matter.  The  discontented  withdrew,  and  for  a 
time  worshipped  in  a  building  about  three  hundred  yards  from  the 
old  stand ;  this,  however,  was  soon  abandoned,  and  the  seceding 
families  now  worship  at  Sardis,  about  seven  miles  distant ;  the  sub- 
ject of  Psalmody  being  the  principal  matter  of  division. 

The  great  revival  of  1802  and  onward,  a  particular  account  of 
which  is  given  in  the  chapter  on  James  M'Gready  and  the  great 
revival,  had  a  happy  influence  on  this  congregation.  A  camp- 
meeting  was  held  within  their  bounds,  commencing  Friday,  March 
23d,  1802,  at  which  it  was  supposed  from  five  to  six  thousand  per- 
sons were  present.  To  accommodate  this  great  assemblage,  after  a 
sermon  at  the  public  stand  in  the  centre,  about  9  o'clock,  worship 
was  continued  at  five  different  places.  For  the  first  three  days  little 
impression  was  made,  and  the  opinion  that  "  all  was  the  work  of 
man,  and  the  effects  of  the  power  of  oratory,"  which  had  been  circu- 
lated by  those  inclined  to  believe  in  the  infidel  notions,  was  gaining 
ground.  But  on  Sabbath  night  a  great  impression  was  visible,  and 
before  the  close  of  the  meeting  a  large  number  were  hopeful  con- 
verts ;  and  among  these  were  some  that  had  been  prominent  in 
their  unbelief.     There  are  some  living  to  this  day  who  were  con- 


250  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

verts  at  that  meeting,  whose  lives  have  been  those  ol  consistent 
Christians. 

Mr.  Wallis  taught  a  classical  school  many  years.  The  deep  con- 
viction, that  purity  of  religion  and  morals  could  not  long  survive 
the  introduction  of  an  ignorant  ministry  into  the  pulpit,  urged  on 
the  ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  church  to  unremitting  efforts  to 
establish  and  keep  alive  high  schools.  In  these  efforts  they  re- 
ceived the  aid  of  intelligent  laymen,  who  were  impelled  by  the  full 
belief,  that  the  welfare  of  the  body  politic  is  for  ever  indissolubly 
united  with  mental  cultivation  and  the  correct  training  of  the  moral 
principles.  Long  has  the  academy  stood  near  Providence  church, 
and  there  may  it  long  stand.  The  church  and  the  school-house 
wTere  inseparable  in  the  early  Presbyterian  settlements.  Mr.  Wal- 
lis taught  school  successfully,  and  his  successors  have  kept  the  doors 
of  the  academy  open  for  the  youth  of  Mecklenburg ;  and  when  the 
actors  of  the  present  generation  have  passed  from  the  stage,  their 
record  will  say  of  many  of  them,  that  their  education  was  com- 
menced, and  of  others,  that  it  was  finished  there.  It  does  not  appear 
that  Mr.  Wallis  was  driven  to  school-keeping  by  poverty  of  his 
means  ;  but  from  the  necessity  of  the  country  at  large,  and  his 
congregation  in  particular. 

Mr.  Wallis  was  for  some  time  before  his  death  a  member  of  the 
board  of  trustees  of  the  University.  This  shows  the  estimation  in 
which  he  was  held  by  his  political  friends,  when  there  were  so  many 
Presbyterian  ministers  of  eminence  as  teachers,  from  whom  to 
choose. 

Mr.  Wallis  was  of  stature  rather  below  the  middling  height, 
small  in  person,  quick  in  his  motions,  and  elastic  in  his  movements ; 
excitable  in  his  temper,  warm  in  his  attachments,  ardent  in  his  de- 
livery of  sermons,  and  not  subject  to  fear.  His  congregation 
nourished  under  his  ministry.  He  finished  his  course  in  the  year 
1819,  in  the  57th  year  of  his  age,  and  the  27th  of  his  ministry. 

In  the  year  1823,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Williamson  was  called  and 
settled  as  pastor ;  in  this  office  he  continued  till  his  removal  to  the 
presidency  of  Davidson  college  in  the  year  1840.  During  his 
ministry,  about  the  year  1831,  those  members  of  Providence  living 
on  the  north  side  of  McAlpin's  Creek,  from  four  to  ten  miles  from 
Providence  church,  with  a  few  other  families,  wTere  organized  as  a 
separate  church  and  congregation  by  the  name  of  Sharon,  to  which 
a  part  of  the  labors  of  the  pastor,  Mr.  Williamson,  wTas  given. 

Providence  abounds  in  localities  of  revolutionary  interest.  A 
complete  history  of  the  southern  war  will  bring  to  notice  many 
places  now  fast  passing  even  from  traditionary  remembrance. 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  251 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM. 


A  brief  memoir  of  the  several  members  of  the  Mecklenburg  Con- 
vention would  present  the  interesting  spectacle  of  noble  spirits, 
capable  of  the  highest  efforts  of  patriotism,  self-denial  and  manly 
daring,  acting  out  in  a  secluded  frontier  and  a  narrow  boundary  all 
the  imperishable  principles  on  which  our  Republic  is  based.  The 
great  truths  which  their  minds  embraced  and  their  hearts  loved, 
will  remain  unchanged  and  unchangeable.  They  may  be  modified, 
but  when  they  cease  to  be  the  principles  of  the  American  Republic, 
a  new  government  will  have  arisen,  a  new  battle  will  be  fought  in 
the  renovated  plains  of  Asia  or  Africa,  or  Liberty  must  depart  from 
the  earth  for  ever. 

The  distance  from  a  flourishing  printing-press — so  great  an  evil 
during  the  Revolution — has  been  unfavorable  to  the  notoriety  of 
these  retired  but  eminent  men.  Short  memoirs,  funeral  orations, 
and  collections  of  anecdotes,  prepared  by  friends,  which  would 
have  given  all  the  desired  information,  were  left  to  perish  in  manu- 
script, or  die  with,  those  who  had  been  witnesses,  or  live  in  the 
dim  and  twilight  existence  of  tradition.  All  the  prominent  actors 
in  the  events  of  May  20th  and  30th,  1775,  have  passed  away; 
very  few  of  those  who  were  witnesses,  and  in  the  early  days  of 
youth,  are  living  at  this  distant  period ;  only  here  and  there  is  one 
who  can  tell  the  deeds  and  recount  the  sufferings,  and  relate  the 
anecdotes  of  the  men  of  the  Revolution.  Brief  notices  will  be 
given,  interspersed  in  the  body  of  the  narratives  and  intermingled 
in  the  chapters,  concerning  these  men  whose  memory  must  be  dear 
to  posterity. 

The  man  whose  name  stands  at  the  head  of  this  chapter,  may  be 
taken  as  an  example  of  the  enterprise,  and  labors,  and  sufferings  of 
the  young  men  of  Carolina,  who  in  defence  of  liberty  spent  their 
strength,  gave  their  property,  and  shed  their  blood.  There  were 
multitudes  whose  names  are  worthy  of  a  record,  not  so  fortunate 
as  this  man,  that  found  in  a  son-in-law  a  recorder  of  his  deeds  and 
a  memorialist  of  his  life,  who  has  favored  the  public  with  a  speci- 
men of  Mecklenburg  youth  in  the  Revolution. 

As  you  go  from  Beattie's  Ford  towards  Lincolnton,  about  eight 


252  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

miles  from  the  Catawba,  and  about  ten  from  the  village,  you  pass  Ve- 
suvius Furnace,  the  product  of  the  skill  and  enterprise  of  that 
citizen-soldier,  and  soldier-citizen,  Joseph  Graham.  Here  he  lived 
some  forty  years  of  his  life,  advancing  the  internal  improvements  of 
his  country  with  persevering  invention  ;  planning,  building  and  per- 
fecting his  iron-works,  increasing  his  own  resources  as  he  added  to 
the  conveniences  of  his  neighborhood.  Here  he  reared  a  family  of 
children  ;  seven  of  whom  survived  him,  though  his  life  was  pro- 
longed to  seventy-seven  years.  Here,  as  a  neighbor  and  head  of 
a  family,  like  Mr.  Hunter,  the  minister  of  Unity  and  Goshen,  on 
whose  ministry  he  attended,  Mr.  Graham  exercised  that  frank  hos- 
pitality and  cheerful  intercourse,  that  precision  in  principle  and 
decision  in  action  characteristic  of  those  soldiers  and  officers  of  the 
Revolution,  who  went  into  the  camp  patriots,  and  came  out  unpol- 
luted by  its  vices,  and  unhardened  by  its  sufferings  and  bloody 
scenes. 

Graham  and  Hunter  were  both  spectators  of  the  convention  in 
Charlotte, — Hunter,  six  days  past  his  twentieth  birthday, — Gra- 
ham not  yet  sixteen.  Both  saw  much  service  in  the  war  that  fol- 
lowed ;  after  the  peace  Hunter  served  his  country  as  a  faithful 
minister  of  the  gospel,  and  Graham,  as  a  high-minded,  noble- 
spirited  citizen,  a  sheriff,  a  military  officer,  a  magistrate,  and  in  the 
latter  part  of  his  life,  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church.  Both 
were  of  that  race  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  familiarly  called  Scotch- 
Irish,  whose  emigrant  families  filled  the  country  tracked  by  the 
bloodshed  and  ravages  of  the  invading  army  under  Cornwallis  ; 
and  poured  forth  soldiers  for  the  contest  for  freedom  of  opinion  and 
personal  liberty  as  brave  as  their  descendants  have  been  fortunate 
in  winning  the  honors  of  their  fellow  citizens.  Hunter  was  brought 
from  Ireland  when  a  boy  ;  Graham  was  born  in  Pennsylvania ; 
both  grew  to  years  of  manhood  in  Mecklenburg  county,  North 
Carolina  ;  both  were  deprived  of  their  father  in  early  life,  and  both 
were  trained  by  a  widowed  mother.  What  widows  there  were  in 
Carolina !  Widow  Graham,  Widow  Hunter,  Widow  Brevard, 
Widow  Flinn,  and  Widow  Sharpe.  Joseph  Graham  was  born  in 
Pennsylvania,  October  3d,  1759,  and  at  about  the  age  of  seven 
years  was  settled  in  Carolina  with  his  widowed  mother,  who 
brought  her  five  children  to  the  neighborhood  of  Charlotte.  His 
coming  to  Mecklenburg  was  not  far  from  the  time  of  the  birth  of 
Andrew  Jackson,  since  General  and  President  of  the  United 
States,  which  took  place  March  15th,  1757,  on  the  Waxhaw  in 
South  Carolina,  about  thirty  miles  from  Charlotte.     Jackson,  like 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  253 

Hunter  and  Graham,  was  early  bereaved  of  his  father  ;  and  to  this 
was  soon  added  the  irreparable  loss  of  his  mother,  who,  emigrating 
from  the  north  of  Ireland,  with  the  characteristic  attachment  to 
liberty,  was  made  a  sacrifice  to  the  independence  of  the  United 
States,  dying  a  victim  to  the  hardships  of  the  war. 

Mr.  Graham  was  accustomed  to  labor  from  his  childhood.  As 
his  frame  was  inured  to  hardships,  his  mind  was  not  left  unculti- 
vated. He  had  for  a  time  the  benefit  of  the  instruction  given  in 
the  flourishing  academy  in  Charlotte,  afterwards  known  as  Queen's 
Museum,  and  subsequently  as  Liberty  Hall,  the  nursery  of  inde- 
pendent youth  in  noble  sentiments. 

In  the  month  of  May,  1778,  in  his  nineteenth  year,  we  find  him 
an  officer  in  the  company  of  Captain  Gooden,  of  the  4th  regiment 
of  North  Carolina  regular  troops,  under  the  command  of  Colonel 
Archibald  Lytle,  marching  to  the  rendezvous  at  Bladensburg,  in 
Maryland.  In  Caswell  county  the  regiment  met  the  news  of  the 
battle  of  Monmouth,  and  the  consequent  retreat  of  the  British 
forces  to  New  York  ;  and  proceeded  no  farther.  Mr.  Graham  re- 
turned home  on  furlough,  and  spent  the  summer  on  his  mother's 
farm. 

In  November,  of  the  same  year,  he  was  in  active  service  on  the 
Savannah,  under  General  Rutherford.  In  the  spring  following, 
wre  find  him  as  quarter-master  with  the  troops  under  the  command 
of  General  Lincoln,  in  his  campaign  against  General  Prevost,  and 
taking  part  in  the  hard-fought  battle  of  the  Stono,  June  20th,  1779, 
which  lasted  an  hour  and  a  half.  Many  soldiers  perished  from 
the  excessive  heat  of  the  day,  among  whom  was  the  eldest  brother 
of  General  Jackson.  In  the  July  following  he  was  taken  with  a 
severe  illness  of  two  months,  received  his  discharge  near  Dor- 
chester, and  returned  home. 

Having  passed  the  winter  with  his  mother,  he  was  ploughing  in 
her  fields  in  May,  1780,  when  he  received  the  news  that  Charles- 
ton had  been  surrendered  to  the  British  arms  ;  that  Cornwallis  had 
moved  rapidly  on  to  Camden  ;  that  Buford's  Virginia  regiment  re- 
treating, and  as  was  supposed  out  of  reach  of  the  enemy,  was 
surprised  by  Tarleton  on  the  Waxhaw,  and  rniserably  butchered,  few 
escaping  unwounded,  and  many  cut  down  crying  for  quarter ;  and 
that  the  British  forces  were  within  forty  miles  of  Charlotte.  The 
inhabitants  of  the  Waxhaw  fled  for  shelter  from  Lord  Rawxlon's 
oppression  to  Mecklenburg,  Rowan,  and  Guilford,  in  North  Caro- 
lina ;  young  Jackson's  mother  residing  for  a  time  in  the  family  of 
the  Wilsons.     A  regiment  was  raised  ii  Mecklenburg,  which  spent 


254  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  summer  in  assailing  the  troops,  and  opposing  the  motions  of 
Rawdon  ;  of  this  regiment  Graham  was  adjutant. 

On  the  16th  of  August,  1780,  Gates  was  defeated  near  Camden, 
and  fled  to  Hillsborough.  The  whole  country  was  in  alarm  ;  dis- 
tressed, but  not  broken.  The  extreme  of  danger  overbalanced  in 
the  minds  of  some  the  love  of  liberty  ;  and  some  made  submission 
to  the  king's  authority,  while  the  others  took  up  arms  more  vigor- 
ously than  ever  in  the  defence  of  all  that  is  dear.  Cornwallis 
marched  towards  Charlotte,  that  "  hot-bed  of  rebellion,'1'1  "  that  hor- 
nets' nest ,"  as  his  lordship  afterwards  named  it,  to  take  a  position  in 
the  midst  of  the  most  disaffected  region  in  the  South.  Graham  was 
ordered  by  General  Davidson  to  repair  to  Charlotte,  take  command 
of  the  forces  assembled  there,  and  join  Colonel  William  Richard- 
son Davie,  who  was  severely  annoying  the  advance  of  the  British 
army. 

The  night  Cornwallis  took  possession  of  Davie's  encampment 
on  the  Waxhaw,  Davie  encamped  at  Providence,  about  twenty-five 
miles  from  his  lordship,  on  his  way  to  Charlotte.  On  the  morning 
of  the  25th  of  September  the  British  army  was  on  the  advance 
towards  the  same  place  ;  about  midnight  Davie  entered  the  town. 
On  the  morning  of  the  26th  the  royal  forces  approached  the  place. 
Tarleton's  dragoons  rushed  forward,  and  were  repulsed ; — again 
rushed  forward,  and  were  again  repulsed.  A  regiment  being  or- 
dered to  sustain  the  charge,  they  rushed  on  the  third  time, — and 
were  the  third  time  repulsed  by  the  small  force  assembled  in  the 
town.  A  regiment  of  infantry  deploying  on  their  flanks,  the  forces 
under  Davie  and  Graham  retired  along  the  Salisbury  road,  keep- 
ing up  a  well-directed  fire  from  the  court-house  to  the  Gum  Tree. 

At  the  farm  occupied  by  Mr. ,  just  out  of  town,  where  they 

halted  and  checked  the  advance  of  the  pursuing  forces,  Graham  nar- 
rowly escaped  a  double  danger  from  the  balls  of  the  enemy  and 
the  bursting  of  a  gun  in  the  hands  of  a  soldier  who  stood  near. 
The  forces  again  formed  on  the  hill  near  Sugar  Creek  meeting- 
house. The  delay  at  this  place,  protracted  by  the  zeal  of  Major 
White,  rendered  their  further  retreat  dangerous,  a  body  of  dra- 
goons having  gone  round  their  right  to  intercept  them  at  the  Cross 
Roads,  a  little  beyond.  This  movement  of  the  enemy  was  dis- 
covered just  in  time  for  the  greater  part  of  the  retreating  forces  to 
escape.  After  a  hot  pursuit,  Colonel  Locke>  of  Rowan,  was  over- 
taken and  shot  down  on  the  margin  of  the  pond  near  Alexander 
Kennedy's  lane  ;  and  Graham  was  overtaken  in  the  skirt  of  the 
woods  some  distance  to  the  right  of  the  road,  between  Mr.  Ken- 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  255 

nedy's  and  J.  A.  Houston's,  cut  down,  severely  mangled,  and  left 
for  dead.  He  had  received  nine  wounds — six  from  sabre  cuts, 
and  three  from  bullets.  His  stock-buckle  intercepted  one  of  the 
cuts  upon  his  neck,  and  bore  marks  of  the  severity  of  the  blow 
aimed  at  his  life.     Four  deep  sabre  gashes  scarred  his  head. 

After  the  enemy  left  him,  he  crawled  with  difficulty  to  some 
water  near,  and  slaking  his  intolerable  thirst,  washed  as  well  as  he  was 
able  his  numerous  and  painful  wounds.  For  a  time  he  despaired 
of  life,  and  expected  to  die  unnoticed  in  that  secluded  spot.  To- 
wards night  he  was  discovered  by  the  neighbors,  who  were  looking 
around  the  battle-field  to  find  their  wounded  countrymen,  and  con- 
veyed to  the  house  of  a  widow  lady,  the  mother  of  Mrs.  Susannah 
Alexander,  now  living.  Here  he  was  concealed  in  an  upper 
room,  or  loft,  and  attended  upon  through  the  night  by  the 
widow  and  her  daughter,  who  were  expecting  that  he  would  die 
from  the  number  and  severity  of  his  wounds.  Once  he  fell  asleep 
and  breathed  so  quietly,  and  looked  so  pale,,  as  they  came  to  in- 
quire his  wants,  they  thought  he  was  dead. 

The  next  day,  the  27th,  the  lady  of  one  of  the  British  officers, 
with  a  small  company  of  horsemen,  visited  the  house,  in  search  of 
fresh  provisions.  By  some  means  she  discovered  there  was  a 
wounded  man  in  the  loft.  On  pressing  the  inquiry  she  found  he 
was  an  officer,  and  his  wounds  severe  ;  and  offered  to  send  a  sur- 
geon from  the  army  to  dress  his  wounds,  as  soon  as  she  should 
reach  the  camp  at  Charlotte.  Alarmed  at  this  discovery,  Graham, 
summoning  all  his  powers  to  the  highest  exertion,  caused  himself 
to  be  put  on  horseback,  the  succeeding  night,  and  was  carried  to 
his  mother's,  and  from  thence  speedily  to  the  hospital.  Three 
balls  were  taken  from  his  body.  The  severity  of  the  wounds  and 
the  loss  of  blood  confined  for  about  two  months  this  active 
soldier. 

After  the  rencontre  on  the  hill,  near  Sugar  Creek  meeting- 
house, and  the  consequent  pursuit,  the  American  forces  retreated 
without  further  opposition.  There  had  been  no  hope  of  successful 
defence  of  the  town,  or  effectual  resistance  of  the  advancing  enemy. 
But  from  the  time  of  Buford's  Massacre,  in  May, — when  the  Pres- 
byterian church  on  the  Waxhaw  became  a  hospital,  where  young 
Jackson  first  saw  wounds  and  the  carnage  of  war, — and  more  par- 
ticularly after  the  defeat  of  Gates  in  August,  the  patriots  were 
exasperated,  driven  to  madness,  by  the  cruelties  of  the  tories  and 
the  marauding  parties  of  the  British  army.  Armed  bands  of  the 
patriots,  whigs,    as   they  were  called,  were  constantly  hovering 


256  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

round  the  enemy  in  their  camp  and  on  their  march,  intercepting 
their  supplies,  cutting  off  their  foraging  parties,  and  retaliating 
distress.  These  annoyances  caused  Cornwallis  and  his  officers  to 
move  cautiously,  and  keep  their  army  in  a  compact  body  ;  and  the 
country  not  immediately  in  their  track  was  in  a  measure  free  from 
devastation,  it  being  entirely  unsafe  for  any  small  party  to  venture 
far  from  the  main  body.  The  report  of  a  foraging  party  would 
spread  with  wonderful  rapidity,  and  the  irritated  inhabitants  collect 
and  harass  the  plunderers  back  to  the  camp,  or  force  them  to  take 
shelter  under  the  cannon  of  his  lordship. 

Having  recovered  from  his  wounds,  Graham,  at  the  request  of 
Gen.  Wm.  L.  Davidson,  the  commander  in  chief  of  the  militia  of 
the  western  counties  of  Carolina,  undertook,  in  December,  1780, 
to  raise  a  body  of  men  to  be  under  his  own  command.  In  two 
weeks  he  embodied  fifty-five  mounted  riflemen,  armed  and  accoutred 
at  their  own  expense  ;  some,  beside  their  rifles,  carrying  swords,  and 
some,  pistols  ;  all  prepared  for  hard  service,  and  entering  the  field 
without  a  quarter-master,  and  in  expectation  of  little  pay  for  the  three 
months  of  their  engagement,  which  proved  months  of  hard  service. 

The  celebrated  victory  of  the  Cowpens  was  gained  by  Morgan, 
over  Tarleton,  on  the  17th  of  January,  1781.  To  secure  his  six 
hundred  prisoners,  Morgan  commenced  his  march  towards  Vir- 
ginia, through  Lincoln  county,  aiming  to  cross  the  Catawba  at 
Beattie's  ford.  Cornwallis  and  Greene  commenced  their  march  to 
the  same  ford,  the  royal  army  on  the  western  side  of  the  river,  to 
intercept  Morgan,  and  the  American  forces  on  the  eastern  side,  to 
meet  him  at  the  ford  and  secure  his  prisoners.  Then  commenced 
the  trial  of  generalship  between  the  two  commanders,  to  be  deter- 
mined by  force  and  skill,  the  reward  of  victory  to  be  the  prisoners 
of  Morgan  and  the  possession  of  the  Southern  States.  Much, 
perhaps  we  might  say  everything,  depended  on  the  reaching  the 
ford  first.  Each  of  the  three  parties  had  about  the  same  distance 
to  march.  Morgan  had  the  start,  but  was  encumbered  with  the 
prisoners.  The  two  rival  Generals  moved  on  with  all  possible 
celerity ;  the  royal  army  destroying  their  heavy  baggage,  by  the 
example  of  their  General ;  the  American  forces  having  but  little 
to  carry  or  destroy.  Greene  left  his  army  and  rode  across  the 
country  and  had  an  interview  with  Morgan,  who  pressed  on  with 
wonderful  spirit,  ambitious  to  secure  his  prisoners,  and  reached  the 
ford  unmolested.  On  the  morning  after  he  crossed,  Cornwallis 
appeared  upon  the  Western  bank,  hot  in  the  pursuit,  and  disap- 
pointed of  his  prey. 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  257 

The  river  had  risen  the  night  after  Morgan  crossed,  and  was 
impassable.  The  two  days  thus  gained  saw  Morgan  far  on  his 
way  to  Virginia,  and  Greene  moving  slowly  towards  the  Yadkin, 
between  him  and  Cornwallis.  General  Davidson,  with  the  North 
Carolina  militia,  was  left  to  delay  the  crossing  of  the  enemy  as 
long  as  possible.  Captain  Graham  was  posted  with  his  rifle  com- 
pany at  Cowan's  Ford,  some  distance  below  Beattie's,  and  at  that 
ford,  after  many  feints,  his  Lordship  commenced  his  passage  of  the 
river.  The  riflemen  kept  up  a  constant  and  galling  fire  upon  the 
advancing  ranks,  and  many  an  officer  and  soldier  were  sent  float- 
ing down  the  stream,  victims  of  their  deadly  aim.  General  Da- 
vidson, hearing  the  firing,  came  down  to  the  river  bank,  accom- 
panied by  Col.  Wm.  Polk,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  McCaule, 
pastor  of  Centre  congregation,  in  whose  bounds  this  action  took 
place,  and  while  taking  observations,  received  a  fatal  wound  and 
fell  dead  from  his  horse.  The  deadly  shot  was  supposed  to  be 
from  the  hand  of  a  tory,  the  British  soldiers  using  only  muskets, 
and  the  wound  of  Davidson  being  made  by  a  rifle  ball.  No  one 
claimed  the  honor  of  piloting  the  enemy  to  the  ford,  or  of  aiming 
the  fatal  shot.  Such  a  preeminence  would  have  been  fatal  to  the 
claimant  in  North  Carolina  for  years. 

The  North  Carolina  militia,  under  the  command  of  General 
Pickens,  hung  upon  the  rear  of  the  enemy,  as  Cornwallis  pursued 
Greene  across  the  State  into  Virginia,  and  continued  to  molest 
them  in  their  encampment  at  Hillsborough.  Capt.  Graham,  with 
his  company  and  some  troops  from  Rowan,  surprised  and  cap- 
tured the  guard  at  Hart's  Mill,  only  a  mile  and  a  half  from  head- 
quarters, and  then  united  with  the  forces  of  Col.  Lee,  of  Virginia, 
and  the  next  day  assisted  in  the  surprise  of  Col.  Pyles,  with  his 
regiment  of  three  hundred  tories,  advancing  to  join  the  army  of 
his  Lordship,  and   within  two  miles   of  the  forces  under  Tarleton. 

Mistaking  the  American  forces  for  Tarleton's  troop,  which  was 
known  to  be  near,  the  tories  raised  the  shout  of  "  God  save  the 
king,"  and  never  discovered  their  mistake  till  trampled  down  by 
the  cavalry,  sword  in  hand.  The  discomfiture  was  complete,  and 
the  forces  under  Lee  escaped  without  loss,  passing  within  a  mile 
of  Tarleton's  corps.  Lee  used  to  speak  of  the  surprise  of  these 
tories  with  great  enthusiasm,  and  describe  graphically  their  con- 
sternation upon  discovering  their  mistake.  He  led  his  troops  along 
the  front  of  their  line,  which  were  shouting  him  a  welcome  ;  he 
traversed  the  whole   front  unsuspected,  he  and  his   men  waving 

their  swords.     His  command,  "  wheel  into  line"  gave  no  alarm. 

17 


258  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

At  the  word  "  charge"  his  company  leaped  their  horses  upon  the 
ranks  of  the  tories,  and  in  a  moment  their  swords  were  bathed  in 
blood.     It  was  the  most  complete  surprise  of  the  whole  war. 

In  the  course  of  a  short  time  after  this,  Captain  Graham  was  in 
the  engagement  under  Lee  at  Clapp's  Mill,  on  the  Alamance  ;  and 
in  a  few  days  after,  at  WbitselPs  Mill,  under  Colonel  Washington. 
With  these  officers,  Graham  was  employed  in  harassing  all  forag- 
ing parties,  and  beating  up  the  quarters  of  the  tories,  till  the  14th 
March,  when  the  term  of  enlistment  for  which  he  had  engaged  his 
men  expired. 

As  was  usual  with  the  partizan  corps,  Graham's  company 
insisted  on  returning  home  for  refreshment  after  their  term  of  en- 
listment was  expired,  the  14th  of  March,  their  resources  being 
exhausted  and  their  engagements  having  been  fulfilled.  By  order 
of  General  Greene  they  were  marched  in  a  compact  body  till  the 
Yadkin  was  crossed,  and  there  disbanded.  By  this  movement, 
Graham  and  his  men  were  deprived  of  the  honor  of  assisting  in 
the  important  battle  at  Guilford  Court-house,  after  having  taken  so 
active  a  part  in  the  preparatory  steps.  The  very  next  day  after 
crossing  the  river,  far  in  the  rear,  Cornwallis  having  accepted  the 
challenge  of  Greene,  gave  battle  ;  and  in  two  days  was  on  his  way 
to  Wilmington,  flying  from  his  defeated  adversary. 

The  western  part  of  North  Carolina  had  rest  during  the  summer 
of  1781.  In  the  early  part  of  September,  General  Rutherford  was 
released  from  the  captivity  he  had  endured  from  the  time  of  the 
defeat  of  Gates.  Immediately  upon  his  release  he  took  the  ne- 
cessary steps  to  raise  three  companies  of  dragoons  and  two 
hundred  mounted  infantry  ;  of  these,  Robert  Smith  was  appointed 
colonel,  and  Graham,  who  had  been  engaged  in  their  organization, 
was  appointed  major.  On  their  march  to  Wilmington,  near  the 
Raft  Swamp,  Graham,  with  ninety  dragoons  and  forty  infantry,  dis- 
persed a  large  body  of  tories  who  had  assembled  at  the  command 
■  of  Cornwallis  ;  and  soon  after,  with  one  troop  of  dragoons  and  two 
of  infantry,  he  surprised  and  defeated  another  near  Wilmington. 
On  the  next  day,  Major  Graham  led,  in  person,  the  attack  made 
on  the  British  garrison,  near  the  same  place.  The  last  engage- 
ment in  which  he  participated  during  the  war,  resulted  in  the 
defeat  of  the  celebrated  Colonel  Gagney,  near  Lake  Waccamaw. 
After  a  long  series  of  depredations,  practised  on  the  patriots  with- 
out relenting,  he  was  surprised  and  entirely  defeated.  In  this 
engagement  Major  Graham  commanded  three  companies,  and 
acted  a  brave  part  in  this  last  action  in  which  he  participated 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  259 

during  the  Revolutionary  war,  which  was  speedily  closed  in  the 
South,  by  the  surrender  of  Cornwallis,  at  Yorktown. 

After  the  close  of  the  war  he  was  elected  the  first  sheriff  of 
Mecklenburg  county,  and  gave  as  great  satisfaction  to  his  fellow- 
citizens  in  civil,  as  he  had  done  in  military  life.  For  many  years 
he  was  a  prominent  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  State, 
from  the  same  county.  In  the  year  1787,  he  was  married  to  the 
second  daughter  of  Major  John  Davidson,  one  of  the  members  of 
the  Mecklenburg  Convention,  and  by  her  became  the  father  of 
twelve  children,  seven  of  whom  survived  him.  Soon  after  his 
marriage  he  removed  to  Lincoln  county,  and  proceeded  to  erect 
the  iron  works  which  gave  him  employment  and  affluence,  and 
were  a  source  of  convenience  and  wealth  to  his  neighborhood  and 
fellow-citizens  of  the  county. 

In  the  year  1814,  by  the  strong  solicitations  of  the  governor  of 
the  State,  he  accepted  the  commission  of-  general  of  a  force  to  be 
sent  to  the  aid  of  the  volunteers  of  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  acting 
under  Generals  Jackson,  Coffee  and  Carroll,  in  repelling  the  mur- 
derous aggressions  of  the  Creek  Indians.  His  private  affairs 
required  his  attention  at  home  ;  his  public  spirit  prompted  him  to 
march  with  a  fine  body  of  men  to  the  seat  of  war.  He  arrived  in 
time  to  assist  in  bringing  it  to  a  close,  and  received  the  submission 
of  several  hundred  of  the  Indians,  after  the  battle  fought  by 
General  Jackson,  at  the  Horse  Shoe.  After  more  than  thirty 
years  of  unparalleled  prosperity  had  crowned  the  labors  of  the 
Revolution,  and  each  had  been  prospered  in  their  private  concerns, 
and  shared  fully  in  the  honors  of  their  constituents,  Graham  and 
Jackson,  whose  boyhood  and  youth  had  been  spent  in  the  same 
troublous  scenes,  met  to  congratulate  each  other  and  their  country- 
men, at  the  successful  termination  of  a  vexatious  Indian  war. 

For  many  years  he  was  Major  General  of  the  fifth  Division  of 
North  Carolina  militia,  and  throughout  his  life  manifested  the 
same  generosity  and  bravery  that  enabled  him  during  the  Re- 
volutionary war  to  be  the  most  successful  man  in  Mecklenburg 
county,  in  raising  a  company  or  a  legion.  Those  that  served 
under  him  testified  to  his  worth  as  a  man,  and  as  an  officer. 

As  a  magistrate  and  civil  officer  he  was  dignified,  firm,  a  de- 
fender of  the  rights  of  his  fellow-citizens,  and  a  supporter  of  the 
laws.  Freedom  of  person  and  property  under  the  government 
of  law,  formed  the  basis  of  his  political  creed.  What  Judge 
Murphy  says  of  Archibald  Henderson,  with  the  slight  change  of 
a  few  circumstances,  may  be  said  of  Joseph  Graham,  in  his  pub- 


260  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

lie  course.  Speaking  of  Henderson,  the  Judge  says, — "  No  man 
better  understood  the  theory  of  our  government,  no  man  more 
admired  it,  no  man  gave  more  practical  proofs  of  his  admiration. 
The  sublime  idea  that  he  lived  under  the  government  of  laws  was 
for  ever  uppermost  in  his  mind,  and  seemed  to  give  a  coloring  to 
all  his  actions.  As  he  acknowledged  no  dominion  but  that  of  the 
laws,  he  bowed  with  reverence  to  their  authority,  and  taught  obe- 
dience no  less  by  his  example  than  his  precept.  In  the  county 
courts,  when  the  justice  of  the  peace  administered  the  laws,  he 
was  no  less  respectful  in  his  deportment  than  in  the  highest  tri- 
bunal of  the  State.  He  considered  obedience  to  the  law  to  be 
the  first  duty  of  a  citizen,  and  it  seemed  to  be  the  great  object  of 
his  professional  life  to  inculcate  a  sense  of  duty,  and  give  the 
administration  of  the  laws  an  impressive  character.  He  said  the 
laws  were  made  for  the  common  people,  and  they  should  be  in- 
terpreted and  administered  by  rules  which  they  understood,  when- 
ever it  was  practicable.  He  said  the  rules  of  pedantry  did  not 
suit  this  country,  nor  this  age,  that  common  sense  had  acquired 
the  dominion  in  politics  and  religion,  and  was  gaining  it  in  law." 
In  these  sentiments  all  sound  republicans  must  unite,  however 
they  may  differ  on  smaller  matters.  From  the  first,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Mecklenburg  had  declared  that  it  was  not  against  law,  but 
.against  oppression,  they  raised  their  arms.  The  fourth  resolution 
of  this  Convention  says,  "  That  as  we  now  acknowledge  the  ex- 
istence and  control  of  no  law  or  legal  officer,  civil  or  military, 
within  this  county,  we  do  hereb)r  ordain  and  adopt  as  a  rule  of 
life,  all,  each,  and  every  of  our  former  laws,  wherein,  never- 
theless, the  crown  of  Great  Britain  never  can  be  considered  as 
holding  rights,  privileges,  immunities,  or  authority  therein." 

His  religious  principles  were  those  of  his  ancestors,  and  must 
be  those  of  his  descendants.  Freedom  of  conscience  in  the  ex- 
ercise of  devotional  feelings,  in  public  and  in  private,  was  prized 
beyond  all  price.  Freedom  in  religion  was  the  great  object  for 
which  his  ancestors  had  contended  in  Ireland  ;  for  it  they  had  emi- 
grated to  Carolina  ;  and  for  it,  in  conjunction/  with  freedom  of  pro- 
perty and  person,  under  the  government  of  law,  he  had  taken  up 
arms  and  fought.  For  it  he  had  shed  his  blood  in  youth,  and  for 
it,  in  his  old  age,  he  would  have  died. 

One  who  knew  General  Graham  well,  from,  long  acquaintance, 
says  :  "  His  intercourse  with  others  was  marked  by  great  dignity 
of  deportment,  delicacy  of  feeling,  cheerfulness  of  spirit,  and 
equality  of  temper.     Men  of  learning  and  high  standing  have  often 


JOSEPH      GRAHAM.  261 

expressed  much  gratification  by  his  company,  and  surprise  at 
the  extent  and  accuracy  of  his  knowledge.  He  was  far,  very  far 
removed  from  all  those  feelings  of  selfishness,  vanity,  deception, 
or  envy,  which  unfit  men  for  the  duties  and  joys  of  social  life. 
His  eye  was  always  open  to  the  virtues  of  his  friends  ;  his  heart 
was  always  ready  to  reciprocate  their  kindness,  to  sympathize 
with  their  sorrows,  and  overlook  their  infirmities.  His  hand,  his 
time,  his  counsel  and  his  influence,  were  all  at  the  command  of 
those  who  shared  his  confidence,  and  deserved  his  affection. 

"  But  there  was  another  circle  nearer  to  his  heart,  in  which  he 
was  still  better  prepared  to  shine  ;  and  in  which  true  excellency 
displayed,  is  a  brighter  and  surer  evidence  of  worth.  Justice 
could  not  be  done  to  his  character  without  being  known  in  the 
family  circle.  As  a  husband,  a  father,  and  a  master,  those  alone 
who  were  the  objects  of  his  attachment,  forbearance,  and  tender- 
ness, could  duly  appreciate  his  conduct  and  demeanor. 

"  He  possessed  a  lofty  and  delicate  sense  of  personal  honor  and 
virtuous  feeling.  His  presence  was  always  a  rebuke  to  the  arts 
and  abominations  of  evil  speaking,  profanity,  and  defamation.  If 
he  could  not  speak  well  of  his  fellow-men,  he  was  wise  and  firm 
enough  to  say  nothing.  He  regarded  the  reputation  of  others  as 
a  sacred  treasure,  and  would  never  stoop  to  meddle  with  the 
private  history,  or  detract  from  the  good  name  of  those  around  him. 
He  felt  that  the  sources  of  his  enjoyment,  and  the  causes  of  his 
elevation,  were  not  to  be  found  in  the  calamities  or  vices  of  his 
fellow-men,  and  hence  his  lips  were  closed  to  the  tales  of  slander, 
and  his  bosom  a  stranger  to  the  wiles  of  calumny. 

"  But  General  Graham  did  not  believe,  when  he  had  served  his 
country,  his  family,  and  his  friends,  that  his  work  on  earth  was 
finished.  With  an  unwavering  conviction  of  the  truth  and  import- 
ance of  religion,  he  professed  to  serve  God,  and  to  seek  for  salva- 
tion by  faith  in  Christ.  For  a  long  period  of  time,  he  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Presbyterian  church,  under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Hunter  ; 
and  for  ten  or  twelve  years  previous  to  his  death,  was  a  rulino- 
elder  of  Unity,  under  the  pastoral  care  of  Rev.  Mr.  Adams.  He 
cherished  the  most  profound  respect  for  the  ordinances  and  duties 
of  Christianity,  attended  with  deep  interest  and  uniform  punctuali- 
ty upon  the  means  of  grace.  He  delighted  much  in  reading  the 
Word  of  God,  and  in  hearkening  to  the  instructions  of  the  ministers 
of  the  gospel,  for  whom  he  always  manifested  the  greatest  regard. 
In  selecting  his  library,  he  proved  how  high  an  estimate  he  placed 
upon  Christian  instruction,  and  in  his  most  unreserved  intercourse 


262  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

with  pious  friends,  his  deep  and  pervading  concern  for  true  and 
undefiled  religion  was  apparent.  No  circumstance  would  deter 
him  from  manifesting  the  most  decided  contempt  for  the  grovelling 
spirit  of  infidelity  and  irreligion." 

Accustomed  in  his  youth  to  expose  himself  to  instant  death  in 
a  good  cause,  and  in  his  age,  girding  his  loins  and  trimming  his 
lamp  according  to  the  gospel,  his  final  departure  by  apoplexy 
coming  suddenly,  could  be  neither  distressing  nor  alarming.  He 
rode  from  Lincolnton,  on  the  10th  of  November,  1836,  and  on  the 
12th,  closed  his  eyes  for  ever.  He  was  buried  in  a  spot  chosen  by 
himself  and  Captain  Alexander  Brevard,  as  a  place  of  sepulture  for 
their  families.  Captain  Brevard  was  brother  of  Dr.  Ephraim 
Brevard,  the  draughtsman  of  the  Declaration  ;  served  as  an  officer  in 
the  Continental  army  ;  was  connected  in  marriage  with  the  sister 
of  Mrs.  Graham,  both  ladies  being  daughters  of  Major  John  David- 
son ;  was  a  firm  friend  and  neighbor  of  General  Graham  ;  with 
him,  served  as  elder  of  the  Presbyterian  church  ;  and  with  him, 
lies  buried  in  the  spot  of  their  choice,  a  secluded  place  walled  in 
with  rock,  on  the  Great  Road  from  Beattie's  Ford,  by  Brevard's 
Furnace,  to  Lincolnton.  On  the  stone  that  marks  Graham's  grave, 
you  may  read, 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

Major  General,  Joseph  Graham, 

who  died,  Nov.  12th,  1836,  aged  77  years. 

"  He  was  a  brave,  intelligent,  and  distinguished  officer  in  the 
Revolutionary  war,  and  in  various  campaigns  from  May,  1778,  to 
Nov.,  1781,  commanded  in  fifteen  engagements,  with  signal 
courage,  wisdom,  and  success. 

"  On  the  26th  of  Sept.,  1780,  after  a  gallant  defence  of  the  ground 
first  consecrated  by  the  Declaration  of  American  Independence,  he 
was  wounded  near  to  Charlotte. 

"  In  1814,  he  commanded  the  troops  of  North  Carolina,  in  their 
expedition  against  the  Creek  Indians. 

"  His  life  was  a  bright  and  illustrious  pattern  of  domestic, 
social,  and  public  virtues. 

"  Modest,  amiable,  upright,  and  pious,  he  lived  a  noble  orna- 
ment to  his  country,  a  faithful  friend  to  the. church,  and  a  rich 
blessing  to  his  family  ;  and  died  with  the  hope  of  a  glorious  im- 
mortality." 

A  good  portrait  of  General  Graham  may  be  seen  at  Cottage 


JOSEPH     GRAHAM.  263 

Home,  the  residence  of  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Morrison,  D.D.,  in  Unity 
congregation,  Lincoln  county.  The  picture  represents  a  fine  bold 
forehead,  blue  eye,  thin  lip,  with  the  shoulders  and  chest  of  a 
robust  man  of  middling  stature.  The  features  of  the  face  indicate 
calmness,  kindness,  and  decision.  You  would  not  expect  the  ori- 
ginal easily  to  be  made  angry,  or  alarmed,  or  driven  from  his  pur- 
pose. And  the  unvarying  testimony  of  all  that  knew  him,  is  that 
his  face  was  an  index  of  his  heart. 

The  more  the  character  and  principles  of  the  men  of  the  Revo- 
lution are  known,  the  more  profound  the  veneration  for  their  me- 
mory. Their  persons  have  passed  away — scarce  a  vestige  remains. 
May  their  principles  flourish  for  ever  ! 


264  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


BATTLE    OF    KING'S    MOUNTAIN. 


The  following  paper  was  drawn  up  by  General  Graham,  who  was 
familiar  with  the  country  around  the  Mountain,  knew  some  of 
the  officers  engaged  in  the  battle,  and  previous  to  writing  this  de- 
scription visited  the  battle-ground  with  a  son  of  one  of  the  officers. 
From  his  known  habits  of  observation  and  correctness,  and  his  fa- 
miliarity with  military  detail,  there  is  no  doubt  that  this  is  the  most 
graphic  account  that  has  ever  been  given  of  that  celebrated  and 
important  action.  He  drew  a  beautiful  plot  of  the  battle-ground, 
and  the  position  of  the  forces  at  different  times  during  the  day  of 
the  action. 

"  After  the  defeat  of  General  Gates  and  the  army  under  his  com- 
mand, on  the  16th  day  of  August,  1780,  and  the  defeat  of  General 
Sumpter,  two  days  after,  near  Rocky  Mount,  by  Colonel  Tarleton, 
the  South  was  almost  entirely  abandoned'  to  the  enemy.  Most  of 
the  troops,  both  officers  and  men,  who  had  escaped  from  Gates's 
defeat,  passed  through  Charlotte,  N.  C,  where  most  of  the  militia 
of  Mecklenburg  county  were  assembled  in  consequence  of  the 
alarm  ;  the  regular  troops  chiefly  passed  on  to  Hillsborough,  where 
General  Gates  finally  established  his  head-quarters. 

"  Wm.  L.  Davidson,  who  had  served  as  lieutenant-colonel  of  the 
regulars  in  the  Northern  Army,  was  appointed  brigadier-general  of 
the  militia  in  the  Salisbury  district,  in  the  place  of  General  Ruther- 
ford, who  was  taken  prisoner  at  Gates's  defeat.  He  formed  a  brigade, 
and  encamped  on  McAlpin's  Creek,  about  eight  miles  below  Char- 
lotte, and  in  the  course  of  two  or  three  weeks  was  reinforced  by 
General  Sumner,  a  continental  officer,  but  having  no  regulars  to 
command,  took  command  of  the  militia  from  the  counties  of  Guil- 
ford, Caswell,  Orange,  and  others. 

"  After  Gates's  defeat,  the  attention  of  Lord  Cornwallis  was 
chiefly  occupied  with  burying  the  dead,  taking  care  of  the  wounded, 
and  forwarding,  under  a  suitable  guard,  the  great  number  of  pri- 
soners he  had  taken,  to  the  city  of  Charleston,  and  regulating  the 
civil  government  he  was  establishing  in  South  Carolina,  and  ex- 
amining the  state  of  the  posts  occupied  by  his  troops  on  the  Con- 
garee,  Ninety-Six,  and  Augusta.     By  the  1st  of  September  he 


BATTLE    OP    KING'S    MOUNTAIN.  265 

had  his  arrangements  made,  and  detached  Colonel  Ferguson  over 
the  Wateree,  with  only  one  hundred  and  ten  regulars,  under  the 
command  of  Captain  Dupeister,  and  about  the  same  number  of 
tories  ;  but  with  an  ample  supply  of  arms  and  other  military  stores. 
His  movements  were  at  first  rapid,  endeavoring  to  intercept  the  re- 
treat of  a  party  of  Mountain-men,  who  were  harassing  the  upper 
settlement  of  tories  in  South  Carolina.  Failing  in  this,  he  after- 
wards moved  slowly,  and  frequently  halted  to  collect  all  the  tories 
he  could  persuade  to  join  him.  He  passed  Broad  River,  and  be- 
fore the  last  of  September  encamped  at  a  place  called  Gilberts- 
town,  within  a  short  distance  of  where  the  thriving  village  of 
Rutherfordton  now  stands.  His  force  had  increased  to  upwards 
of  1,000  men.  On  his  march  to  this  place,  he  had  furnished 
arms  to  such  of  his  new  recruits  as  were  without  them.  The 
greater  part  of  them  had  rifles ;  but  to  a  part  of  them,  he  had  them 
to  fix  a  large  knife  they  usually  carried,  made  small  enough  at  the 
butt  end,  for  two  inches  or  more  of  the  handle,  to  slip  into  the 
muzzle  of  the  rifle,  so  that  it  might  be  occasionally  used  as  a 
bayonet. 

"  Although  Colonel  Ferguson  failed  to  overtake  the  detachment 
of  Mountain-men  alluded  to,  he  took  two  of  them  prisoners,  who 
had  become  separated  from  their  commands.  In  a  day  or  two  he 
paroled  them,  and  enjoined  them  to  inform  the  officers  on  the  west- 
ern waters,  that  if  they  did  not  desist  from  their  opposition  to  the 
British  arms,  and  take  protection  under  his  standard,  he  would 
march  his  army  over  the  mountains,  hang  their  leaders,  and  lay 
waste  the  country  with  fire  and  sword. 

"  Colonel  Charles  McDowell,  of  Burke  county,  on  the  approach 
of  Ferguson  with  so  large  a  force,  had  gone  over  the  mountains 
to  obtain  assistance,  and  was  in  consultation  with  Colonel  John 
Sevier  and  Colonel  Isaac  Shelby  what  plan  should  be  pursued, 
when  the  two  paroled  men  spoken  of  arrived  and  delivered  their 
message  from  Colonel  Ferguson.  It  was  decided  that  each  of 
them  should  use  his  best  efforts  to  raise  all  the  men  that  could  be 
enlisted,  and  that  this  force,  when  collected,  should  meet  on  the 
Wataga,  on  the  25th  of  September.  It  was  also  agreed  that 
Colonel  Shelby  should  give  intelligence  of  their  movements  to 
Colonel  William  Campbell,  of  the  adjoining  county  of  Washing- 
ton, in  Virginia,  with  the  hope  that  he  would  raise  what  force  he 
could  and  co-operate  with  them.  They  met  on  the  Wataga  the 
day  appointed,  and  passed  the  mountains  on  the  30th  of  Septem- 
ber, where  they  were  joined  by  Colonel  Benjamin  Cleaveland,  and 


266  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Major  Joseph  Winston,  from  Wilks  and  Surry  counties,  North 
Carolina.  On  examining  their  force,  it  was  found  to  number  as 
follows,  viz  : 

"  From    Washington    county,    Virginia,    under    Col.  Wm. 

Campbell 400 

"  From  Sullivan  county,  North  Carolina,  under  Col.  Isaac 

Shelby 240 

"  From  Washington  county,  North  Carolina,  under  Col.  John 

Sevier 240 

"  From  Burke  and  Rutherford  counties,  North  Carolina,  un- 
der Col.  Charles  McDowell        .         .         .         .         .160 

"  From  Wilks  and   Surry   counties,  North  Carolina,  under 

Col.  Cleaveland  and  Major  James  Winston  .         .     350 


Total 1390 

"  Col.  Ferguson  having  accurate  intelligence  of  the  force  col- 
lecting against  him,  early  on  the  4th  of  October,  ordered  his 
men  to  march,  and  remained  half  an  hour  after  they  had  started 
writing  a  despatch  to  Lord  Cornwallis,  no  doubt  informing  him  of 
his  situation  and  soliciting  aid.  The  letter  was  committed  to  the 
care  of  the  noted  Abraham  Collins  (him  of  counterfeit  memo- 
ry) and  another  person  by  the  name  of  Quinn,  with  injunctions  to 
deliver  it  as  soon  as  possible.  They  set  out  and  attempted  to  pass 
the  direct  road  to  Charlotte,  but  having  to  pass  through  some 
whig  settlements,  they  were  surprised  and  pursued,  and  being 
compelled  to  secrete  themselves  by  day  and  travel  by  night,  they 
did  not  reach  Charlotte  until  the  morning  of  the  7th  of  October, 
the  day  of  the  battle.  Colonel  Ferguson  encamped  the  first  night 
at  the  noted  place  called  the  Cowpens,  about  twenty  miles  from 
Gilbertstown.  On  the  5th  of  October  he  crossed  the  Broad 
River,  at  what  is  now  called  Dear's  Ferry,  sixteen  miles.  On  the 
6th,  he  marched  up  the  Ridge  Road,  between  the  waters  of  King's 
and  Buffalo  creeks,  until  he  came  to  the  fork,  turning  to  the  right 
across  King's  Creek,  and  through  a  gap  in  the  mountain  towards 
Yorkville,  about  fourteen  miles.  There  he  encamped  on  the  sum- 
mit of  that  part  of  the  mountain  to  the  right  of  the  road,  where 
he  remained  till  he  was  attacked  on  the  7th. 

"  When  the  troops  from  the  different  counties  met  at  the  head  of 
the  Catawba  river,  the  commanding  officers  met,  and  finding  that 
they  were  all  of  equal  grade,  and  no  general  officer  to  command, 


BATTLE    OF    KINg's    MOUNTAIN.  267 

it  was  decided  that  Col.  Charles  McDowell  should  go  to  head- 
quarters, supposed  to  be  between  Charlotte  and  Salisbury,  to  ob- 
tain General  Sumner  or  General  Davidson  to  take  the  command. 
In  the  meantime,  it  was  agreed  that  Col.  William  Campbell,  who 
had  the  largest  regiment,  should  take  the  command  until  the  arri- 
val of  a  general  officer,  who  was  to  act  according  to  the  advice 
of  the  colonels  commanding,  and  that  Major  McDowell  should 
take  the  command  of  the  Burke  and  Rutherford  regiment  until 
the  return  of  Col.  McDowell.  • 

"  Shortly  after  these  measures  were  adopted,  intelligence  was 
received  that  Colonel  Ferguson  had  left  Gilbertstown,  and  it  was 
decided  that  they  would  march  after  him,  by  that  place  ;  and  on 
their  way  they  received  evidence  that  it  was  his  design  to  evade  an 
engagement  with  them.  On  the  evening  of  the  6th  of  October,  the 
colonels  in  council  unanimously  resolved,  that  they  would  select 
all  the  men  and  horses  fit  for  service,  and  immediately  pursue  Fer- 
guson until  they  should  overtake  him,  leaving  such  as  were  not 
able  to  go  to  come  after  them  as  fast  as  they  could.  The  next 
morning  the  selection  was  made,  and  910  men,  including  officers, 
were  marched  before,  leaving  the  others  to  follow.  They  came  to 
the  Cowpens,  where  Ferguson  had  camped  on  the  night  of  the 
4th,  and  there  met  Colonel  Williams,  of  South  Carolina,  with  near 
400  men,  and  about  60  from  Lincoln  county,  who  had  joined  them 
on  their  march  under  Colonel  Hambrite  and  Major  Chronicle. 
After  drawing  rations  of  beef,  the  whole  proceeded  on  a  little 
before  sunset,  taking  Ferguson's  trail  towards  Dear's  Ferry,  on 
Broad  River.  Night  coming  on,  and  being  very  dark,  their  pilot 
got  out  of  the  right  way,  and  for  some  time  they  were  lost ;  but 
before  daylight  they  reached  near  to  the  ferry,  and  by  directions  of 
the  officers,  the  pilot  led  them  to  the  Cherokee  ford,  about  a  mile 
and  a  half  below,  as  it  was  not  known  but  the  enemy  might  be  in 
possession  of  the  eastern  bank  of  the  river.  It  was  on  the  morning 
of  the  7th,  before  sunrise,  when  they  crossed  the  river,  and  marched 
about  two  miles  to  the  place  where  Ferguson  had  encamped  on 
the  night  of  the  5th.  There  they  halted  a  short  time,  and  took 
such  breakfast  as  their  wallets  and  saddlebags  would  afford.  The 
day  was  showery,  and  they  were  obliged  to  use  their  blankets  and 
great  coats  to  protect  their  arms  from  wet.  They  passed  on  a 
dozen  of  miles  without  seeing  any  person ;  although  they  met  a 
lad  in  an  old  field,  by  the  name  of  Fonderin,  about  twelve  or  four- 
teen years  of  age,  who  had  a  brother  and  other  relations  in 
Ferguson's   camp,  and  who  was  directly  from  it,  within  less  than 


268  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

three  miles.  A  halt  was  ordered,  and  the  colonels  met  in  consult- 
ation. Several  persons  knew  the  ground  well  on  which  the  enemy 
was  encamped,  agreeably  to  the  information  given  by  the  boy,  of 
their  position.  The  plan  of  battle  was  immediately  settled  ;  that 
the  forces  should  be  nearly  equally  divided,  and  one  half  would 
take  to  the  right,  cross  over  and  occupy  the  southeast  side  of  the 
mountain,  and  that  the  other  should  advance  to  the  northwest  side, 
and  that  each  division  should  move  forward  until  they  formed  a 
junction,  when  all  should  face  to  the  front,  and  press  upon  the 
enemy  up  the  sides  of  the  mountain.  Orders  were  given  to  pre- 
pare for  battle  by  laying  aside  every  incumbrance,  examining  into 
their  arms,  and  guarding  .  against  alarms.  The  orders  were 
speedily  obeyed,  and  they  moved  forward  over  King's  Creek  and 
up  a  branch  and  ravine,  and  between  two  rocky  knobs  ;  which 
when  they  had  passed,  the  top  of  the  mountain  and  the  enemy's 
camp  upon  it  were  in  full  view,  about  one  hundred  poles  in  front." 
"  The  enemy's  camp  was  to  the  right  of  the  road,  seventy  or 
eighty  poles  in  length,  and  on  the  summit  of  the  mountain,  which 
at  this  place  runs  nearly  northeast  and  southwest  (the  shadow  of 
the  timber  at  half  past  one  P.  M.  ranges  with  it).  The  troops 
were  led  on  in  the  following  order  :  to  the  right,  Major  Winston, 
Colonel  Sevier,  Colonel  Campbell,  Colonel  Shelby,  and  Major 
McDowell ;  to  the  left,  Colonel  Hambrite,  Colonel  Cleaveland, 
and  Colonel  Williams,  of  South  Carolina.  Each  division  moved 
off  steadily  to  the  place  assigned  them,  in  the  order  of  battle. 
Some  of  the  regiments  suffered  much  under  the  galling  fire  of 
the  enemy,  before  they  were  in  a  position  to  engage  in  the  action. 
Some  complaints  began  to  be  uttered,  that  "  it  would  never  do  to 
be  shot  down  without  returning  the  fire  ;'  Colonel  Shelby  replied, 
'press  on  to  your  places,  and  then  your  fire  will  not  be  lost.' 
The  men,  led  by  Shelby  and  M'Dowell,  were  soon  closely  en- 
gaged, and  the  contest  from  the  first  was  very  severe.  Williams 
and  Cleaveland  were  soon  in  their  places,  and  with  the  utmost 
energy  engaged  the  foe.  Ferguson,  finding  that  end  of  his  line 
giving  way,  ordered  forward  his  regulars  and  riflemen,  with  bayo- 
nets, and  made  a  furious  charge  upon  Shelby  and  M'Dowell, 
charging  down  the  mountain  some  two  hundred  yards.  A  united 
and  destructive  fire  soon  compelled  him  to  order  his  party  back  to 
the  top  of  the  mountain.  To  ward  off  the  deadly  attack  from 
Colonel  Williams,  Ferguson  again  charged  with  fury  down  the 
mountain.  When  Shelby's  men  saw  this,  they  raised  the  cry, 
'  Come  on,  .men,  the  enemy  is  retreating  !'     They  rallied,  and  by 


BATTLE    OF    KING  S    MOUNTAIN.  269 

the  time  Ferguson  returned  from  the  charge  against  the  South 
Carolinians,  renewed  their  fire  with  great  resolution.  Ferguson 
again  charged  upon  Shelby,  but  not  so  far  as  before  ;  Colonel 
Williams's  men  in  turn  called  out,  '  the  enemy  is  retreating,  come 
on,  men  !' 

"  At  this  stage  of  the  action,  Hambrite  and  Winston  had  met, 
and  a  brisk  fire  was  poured  upon  Ferguson's  men,  all  round  the 
mountain.  As  he  would  advance  towards  Campbell,  Sevier, 
Winston,  and  Hambrite,  he  was  pursued  by  Shelby,  M'Dowell, 
Williams,  and  Cleaveland.  When  he  would  turn  his  face  against 
the  latter,  the  former  would  press  on  in  pursuit.  Thus  he  strug- 
gled on,  making  charges  and  retreats,  but  his  left  was  rapidly 
losing  ground.  His  men  were  rapidly  falling  before  the  skilful 
aim  and  unbending  courage  of  the  whigs.  Even  after  being 
wounded,  he  fought  on  with  courage.  He  made  every  effort  that 
could  be  done  by  a  brave  and  skilful  officer,  according  to  his 
position.  At  length  he  was  shot  dead,  and  his  whole  command 
driven  up  into  a  group  of  sixty  yards  in  length,  and  not  forty  in 
width. 

"  The  British  officer,  Capt.  Dupeister,  who  took  the  command, 
ordered  a  white  flag  to  be  raised  in  token  of  surrender,  but  the 
bearer  was  instantly  shot  down.  He  soon  had  another  raised,  and 
called  out  for  quarter.  Col.  Shelby  demanded,  if  they  surrendered 
why  they  did  not  throw  down  their  arms.  It  was  instantly  done. 
But  still  the  firing  was  continued,  until  Shelby  and  Sevier  went 
inside  the  lines  and  ordered  the  men  to  cease.  Some  who  kept  at 
it  would  call  out,  '  Give  them  Buford's  play,'  alluding  to  Colonel 
Buford's  defeat  by  Tarleton,  where  no  quarter  was  given.  A 
guard  was  placed  over  the  prisoners,  and  all  remained  on  the  moun- 
tain during  that  night." 

"The  party  which  led  the  left  wing,  under  Colonel  Hambrite, 
suffered  very  much,  having  to  pass  very  difficult  ground  to  reach 
their  place  of  destination,  and  within  eighty  rods  of  the  enemy's 
marksmen.  Colonel  Hambrite  was  wounded,  and  Major  Chronicle 
was  killed.  Colonel  Williams,  of  South  Carolina,  a  brave  and 
efficient  officer,  was  also  killed.  The  loss  of  the  whigs  was  not 
exactly  ascertained,  but  believed  to  be  about  thirty  killed  and  fifty 
wounded.  The  enemy  had  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  killed,  and 
all  the  rest  taken  prisoners." 

"  On  the  morning  of  the  8th  a  court-martial  was  held,  and 
several  of  the  prisoners,  who  were  found  guilty  of  murder  and 


270  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

other  high  crimes,  were  sentenced  to  be  hanged.     About  twenty- 
were  executed." 

From  this  paper  of  Gen.  Graham  it  appears  that  the  first  moving 
of  the  expedition  was  in  North  Carolina.  Virginia  came  to  her 
aid,  and  the  gallant  South  Carolina  took  her  share.  The  gallant 
Williams  has  no  monument.  The  friends  of  Major  Chronicle  and 
a  few  others  erected  a  monument  where  they  were  buried,  near  the 
battle-ground.     On  the  east  side  is  this  inscription,  viz. : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Major  William  Chronicle 

and  Captain  Mattocks,  William  Robb,  and  John  Boyd  : — 

who  were  killed  at  this  place  on  the  7th  of  October,  1780, 

fighting  in  defence  of  America. 

On  the  west  side — 

Col.  Ferguson,  an  officer  of 

his  Britannic  Majesty,  was 

defeated  and  killed  at  this  place, 

on  the  7th  of  October,  17S0. 

Colonel  Williams  was  an  elder  in  the  Presbyterian  church,  much 
beloved  as  a  man  and  an  officer.  His  fellow-citizens  preferred 
marching  under  him,  when  the  time  for  marching  came.  The  last 
meeting,  it  is  said,  with  his  friends,  was  at  the  church,  in  which  he 
used  to  meet  them  in  solemn  worship,  and  at  a  communion  season. 
Shelby  became  noted  in  Kentucky,  was  made  Governor,  and  was, 
in  the  latter  part  of  his  life,  religious,  and  an  elder  of  the  church. 
The  McDowells  held  through  life  the  highest  stand  with  their  fel- 
low-citizens. Winston,  Hambrite,  Sevier,  and  Cleaveland,  were 
true  patriots.  Campbell  was,  after  this,  in  the  battle  of  Guilford, 
and  afterwards  the  commander  of  the  militia  in  the  eastern  section  of 
Virginia ;  and  while  engaged  with  his  duties  was  seized  with  a 
fever,  which  proved  mortal.  He  was  buried  at  Rocky  Mills,  in 
Hanover  county.  A  native  of  Augusta  county,  he  removed  early 
to  Washington  county, — a  bold,  active  man,  and  extremely  popular 
with  the  militia,  as  is  seen  in  the  fact  that  on  a  short  notice  he 
rallied  400  men  of  his  county  to  march  with  him  in  this  expedition, 
— an  untiring  enemy  of  the  tories,  who  hated  him  as  much  as  he 
loved  his  country.  After  an  interval  of  forty  years,  his  remains, 
in  a  surprising  state  of  preservation,  were  removed  to  Washington 
county,  to  repose  with  his  family. 

It  is  said  that  Colonel  Ferguson,  when  he  encamped  on  King's 
Mountain,  after  so  many  clays  of  retreat  before  the  gathering  mili- 
tia, exclaimed  to  his  men,  "Here  is  a  place  God  Almighty   cannot 


BATTLE    OP    KING  S    MOUNTAIN.  271 

drive  us  from."  He  never  left  the  mountain  ;  the  next  day  he  fell 
in  battle. 

By  courtesy,  Colonel  Campbell,  as  having  the  largest  force,  was 
considered  the  leading  officer ;  during  the  action  he  rode  down  two 
horses.  Early  in  the  action,  his  black,  called  Bald  Face,  proving 
unruly,  he  exchanged  him  for  a  horse  belonging  to  a  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, of  his  corps.  In  the  heat  of  the  battle  he  was  seen  on  foot 
at  the  head  of  his  men,  with  his  coat  off,  and  his  shirt-collar  open. 
Some  two  hundred  yards  down  the  mountain  was  Bald  Face, 
mounted  by  the  Colonel's  servant,  a  tall,  well-proportioned  mulatto, 
who  said,  "he  had  come  up  to  see  what  his  master  and  the  rest 
were  doing." 

Ex-Senator  Preston,  of  South  Carolina,  a  grandson  of  Colonel 
Campbell,  in  his  youth,  stopped  at  a  tavern  in  South  Carolina,  near 
the  North  Carolina  line,  and  in  sight  of  King's  Mountain  ;  and 
while  breakfast  was  preparing,  observed  that  the  landlady  frequently 
turned  to  look  at  him.  While  eating,  she  asked  him  his  name,  and 
observed,  by  way  of  apology,  that  he  was  very  like  the  man  she 
most  dreaded  on  earth.  "And  who  is  that?"  said  Preston. 
"  Colonel  Campbell,"  said  the  woman,  "that  hung  my  husband 
at  King's  Mountain." 

Besides  Shelby,  who  became  religious  before  his  death,  and 
Williams,  who  was  so  much  beloved  as  elder,  it  is  the  tradition 
that  two  of  the  other  officers  were  elders  in  the  Presbyterian 
church  ;  but  which  of  them  is  not  handed  down  distinctly.  They 
were  republicans  on  principle,  and  fought  and  bled  for  their  prin- 
ciples. The  whole  military  force  that  were  engaged  in  this  expe- 
dition were  from  Presbyterian  settlements,  and  were  in  all  proba- 
bility all  of  them  of  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish  origin. 

Though  the  scene  of  this  battle  is  in  South  Carolina,  the  chief 
honor  belongs  to  North  Carolina,  shared  most  nobly  with  South 
Carolina  and  Virginia.  The  officers  and  men  concerned  in  the 
planning  and  executing  the  enterprise  were  all  of  the  same  race, 
and  were  gathered  from  what  now  forms  four  States.  "  Mountain- 
men,'1''  and  "  beyond  the  mountains"  mean  Tennessee  and  Kentucky, 
then  forming  western  counties  of  North  Carolina  and  Virginia. 


272  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXL 

THE    BATTLE    AT    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE. 

It  is  a  remarkable  circumstance  that  the  battle  of  Guilford  Court- 
house, March  15th,  1781,  which  drove  the  invading  army  of  Corn- 
wallis from  North  Carolina,  was  fought  within  about  a  day's  march 
of  the  scene  of  the  first  bloodshed  for  American  Independence,  made 
on  the  Alamance,  some  ten  years  before,  May  1771,  the  one  in  the 
bounds  of  Buffalo  congregation,  and  the  other  on  the  skirts  of  Ala- 
mance, the  two  congregations  forming  the  pastoral  charge  of  Dr. 
David  Caldwell. 

The  pursuit  of  Greene  by  Cornwallis  across  the  State,  from  the 
time  the  Catawba  was  crossed  in  January,  1781,  and  Davidson 
slain,  was  as  rapid  as  the  well  disciplined  army  of  English,  having 
destroyed  their  baggage,  could  make  it,  under  the  direction  of  brave 
and  skilful  officers,  through  a  country  for  the  most  part  hostile  to 
his  majesty's  forces,  with  no  magazines,  or  provisions  collected  for 
their  supply,  and  the  sources  of  refreshment  along  the  track  of  pur- 
suit mostly  consumed  by  the  retreating  American  army.  Perhaps 
in  the  whole  course  of  the  war,  generalship  and  bravery,  in  pursuit 
and  retreat,  were  never  better  exhibited,  than  in  the  efforts  of  his 
lordship  to  bring  Greene  to  battle  before  he  could  cross  the  Dan, 
and  the  success  of  Greene  to  elude  all  his  lordship's  efforts.  It  is 
said  that  the  advance  guards  of  one  and  the  rear  guard  of  the 
other  were  often  within  musket-shot  without  discharging  a  gun. 
The  great  object,  a  general  battle,  could  not  be  gained  by  the  death 
or  wounds  of  a  few  of  Greene's  rear,  and  the  officers  of  Cornwallis 
refrained  from  firing  on  those  whom  they  could  not  intercept. 

At  nine  o'clock  at  night,  on  the  14th  of  February,  the  main 
army  having  crossed  the  day  before,  Lee's  legion  took  the  boats 
that  had  carried  over  the  forces  under  Colonel  Otho  Williams,  at 
Boyd's  Ferry ;  Lieutenant  Colonel  Carrington,  the  quartermaster- 
general,  entering  the  last  boat.  Had  it  been  daylight,  the  British 
forces  might  have  seen  the  departure,  so  close  was  the  advance 
guard.     Here  the  pursuit  ended. 

Cornwallis  chose  Hillsborough  for  his  head-quarters.  While  a 
detachment  of  his  army  lay  at  the  Red  House,  they  occupied  the 
church  of  Hugh  McAden,  the  first  located  missionary  in  North 


BATTLE    OP    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE.  273 

Carolina,  and  remembering  that  those  who  sang  "  David's  Psalms 
in  Metre,"  in  South  Carolina,  were  rebels  against  the  king,  and 
their  ministers  fomenters  of  rebellion,  they  complimented  McAden, 
a  short  time  in  his  grave,  and  his  congregation  also,  by  burning  his 
library  and  papers.  Fortunately  his  early  journal  escaped  thf 
flames. 

His  lordship  tarried  about  ten  days  in  Hillsborough.  In  that  time 
Greene,  reinforced  by  militia  and  volunteers  from  Virginia,  had  re- 
crossed  the  Dan,  and  commenced  that  harassing  warfare  that  drew 
Cornwallis  from  his  head-quarters,  and  brought  on  the  decisive  bat- 
tle. Between  the  18th  and  23d  those  marches  and  counter-marches 
took  place  by  forces  under  command  of  Greene's  officers,  that  led  to 
the  destruction  of  the  regiment  of  tories  under  Colonel  Pyles, 
marching  to  join  the  invaders,  about  midway  between  Hillsborough 
and  Greensbo rough,  and  to  the  entanglement  of  Tarleton,  from 
which  he  was  rescued  only  by  the  watchfulness  of  his  general,  who 
sent  three  messengers  in  haste  after  him,  in  one  night,  to  speed  his 
return,  and  just  saved  him  from  the  forces  that  were  preparing  to 
cut  him  off  before  daylight. 

On  the  26th  of  February  Cornwallis  left  Hillsborough,  and  mov- 
ing south  encamped  on  the  fertile  Alamance,  and  moved  on,  quar- 
tering upon  the  "  rebels."  On  the  6th  of  March  he  made  a  move 
to  entrap  that  remarkable  officer,  Colonel  Otho  Williams  of  Mary- 
land ;  and  in  the  manoeuvres  that  followed,  a  circumstance  occurred 
that  gave  a  British  officer  great  eclat  in  the  American  camp. 
Above  thirty  rifle  shots,  deliberately  aimed,  were  made  by  King's 
mountain  riflemen,  at  Wetzell's  Mills  on  Reedy  Fork,  upon  a  Bri- 
tish officer  that  was  seen  slowly  approaching  the  bank  of  the  stream, 
and  carefully  fording  the  current  on  a  beautiful  black  horse,  at  the 
time  apparently  busied  with  the  movements  of  a  detachment  of  sol- 
diers, all  within  view,  and  in  fair  rifle  shot.  To  the  amazement  of 
all,  without  harm,  or  discovering  the  least  sensation  of  alarm,  he 
crossed  the  stream  and  disappeared.  Upon  inquiring  of  some  pri- 
soners what  officer  in  the  manoeuvres  and  skirmishes  rode  a  black 
horse,  the  name  of  the  gallant,  gentlemanly  and  skilful  Colonel 
Webster  was  given  in  reply. 

Cornwallis  removed  his  army  into  the  bounds  of  Buffalo  congre- 
gation, and  encamped  on  the  plantation  of  William  Rankin.  Re- 
maining there  till  all  the  provisions  on  the  plantation  and  in  the 
neighborhood  were  consumed,  and  the  plunder  seemed,  the  army- 
was  marched  into  the  Alamance  congregation,  and  encamped  on  the 
plantation  of  Ralph  Gorrel,  Esq.,  who,  like  Mr.  Rankin,  was  a  man  of 

18 


274  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

influence  and  wealth,  and  a  true  whig.  Turning  the  family  out  of 
doors,  consuming,  plundering,  and  destroying,  with  the  thoughtless 
recklessness  of  invading  soldiers,  leaving  the  neighborhood  a  scene 
of  desolation,  after  an  abode  of  two  days,  the  army  was  marched  on 
Sabbath,  March  11th,  to  the  premises  of  Dr.  Caldwell.  Mrs.  Cald- 
well and  the  children  retired  to  the  smoke-house,  and  there  passed 
a  day  without  provision  and  without  a  bed.  The  officers  that  occu- 
pied the  house  insulted  her  distress  with  profane  language  and 
cruel  treatment,  until  the  principal  physician,  understanding  her 
condition,  interposed,  and  procured  for  her  a  bed  and  a  few  cooking 
utensils,  and  some  provisions.  The  head-quarters  of  his  lordship 
was  at  Mr.  McCuistin's  on  the  great  road  from  the  court-house  to 
Fayetteville ;  but  the  army  was  encamped  mainly  on  Dr.  Cald- 
well's plantation,  the  line  extending  entirely  across  it,  and  the 
wings  occupying  part  of  two  of  his  neighbor's,  one  on  each  side  ; 
"  and  the  marks  of  it  are  still  visible."  Mr.  Caruthers  says — 
"  every  panel  of  fence  on  the  premises  was  burned  ;  every  particle 
of  provisions  consumed  or  carried  away ;  every  living  thing  was 
destroyed  except  one  old  goose ;  and  nearly  every  square  rod  of 
ground  was  penetrated  with  their  iron  ramrods,  in  search  of  hidden 
treasure." 

Before  leaving  the  place,  the  library  and  papers  of  Dr.  Caldwell 
were  destroyed  by  fire.  This  was  done  by  the  command  of  the  offi- 
cers. The  large  oven  in  the  yard  was  used  for  the  purpose.  A  fire 
being  kindled,  armful  after  armful  of  the  books  and  papers  was,  by 
the  servants,  committed  to  the  flames,  till  the  destruction  was  com- 
plete. The  Dr.  was  at  this  time  in  the  camp  of  Greene,  which,  on 
Monday,  the  12th,  was  about  five  miles  from  High  Rock  ;  on  Tues- 
day, eight  miles  farther,  on  Ready  Fort,  and  on  Wednesday  at  the 
Court  House.  A  price  had  been  set  by  his  lordship  on  the  Dr.'s 
head :  j£200  to  any  one  who  should  bring  him  in  prisoner.  As  if 
to  revenge  his  absence  from  home  on  his  library  and  papers,  the 
order  was  given  for  their  destruction.  Not  even  the  family  Bible 
was  spared.  The  fatal  Psalms  in  metre  probably  ensured  its  de- 
struction. The  loss  of  the  manuscripts  was  irreparable ;  the  library 
in  the  course  of  time  was  partially  replaced. 

After  remaining  two  days,  the  army  left  the  neighborhood  a  scene 
of  desolation  and  distress,  and  removed  to  the  Quaker  settlement  on 
Deep  River.  About  this  time  occurred  the  massacre  of  the  bugler 
of  Lee's  legion,  while  crying  for  quarter,  but  a  little  more  atrocious 
than  the  slaughters  and  plunderings  which  were  enacted  throughout 
Dr  Caldwell's  congregations. 


BATTLE     OF    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE.  275 

By  Greene's  near  approach  on  Wednesday,  the  14th  of  March,  it 
was  understood  throughout  the  country,  and  in  the  British  camp, 
that  the  American  general,  who  had  so  long  shunned  an  engage- 
ment, would  no  longer  decline  a  battle.  Lee's  legion  led  on  the 
attack.  The  king's  forces  approached  the  chosen  battle-ground  in 
beautiful  military  order  and  in  high  spirits.  By  the  court-house 
lay  Greene  with  his  regulars ;  in  front,  to  the  south,  were  open  fields 
of  a  rolling  surface  with  some  ravines,  through  which  passed  the 
great  Salisbury  road,  on  the  right  and  left  of  which  were  woods ; 
about  a  rifle  shot  in  front,  beyond  these  fields,  were  woods  of  about 
the  same  depth  ;  in  these,  on  the  right  and  left  of  the  road,  were  sta- 
tioned the  Virginia  volunteers  and  militia,  some  of  them  excellent 
marksmen  with  the  rifle,  in  a  hollow  that  ran  nearly  at  right  angles 
to  the  road,  so  low  that  the  militia  would  be  unseen  by  the  enemy's 
line  till  within  gun-shot ;  in  front  of  the  woods  on  the  south,  behind 
a  rail-fence  enclosing  extended  open  fields,  lay  the  North  Carolina 
forces,  militia  and  volunteers,  some  excellent  riflemen.  Across  these 
open  fields,  the  army  of  Cornwallis,  in  battle  array,  advanced  on 
each  side  of  the  road  in  front  of  the  Carolina  forces  concealed  by 
the  fence  and  flanked  on  their  left  by  Campbell's  riflemen  and  Lee's 
legion,  and  their  right  by  Lynch's  rifle  corps  and  Washington's 
cavalry. 

The  orders  to  the  first  line  were,  to  fire  twice,  from  behind  the 
fence,  upon  the  enemy  on  their  near  approach,  and  then  to  retire ; 
to  the  second  line,  to  give  the  advancing  enemy  such  reception  as 
circumstances  required ;  and  in  case  of  a  retreat,  all  were  to  rally  in 
the  rear  of  the  regulars. 

The  British  forces  could  be  seen  for  a  mile  or  more,  as  they  defiled 
into  the  open  fields.  The  field-pieces  of  Greene  stationed  in  the  road 
under  Captain  Singleton,  just  in  front  of  the  front  line,  played  upon 
the  advancing  enemy,  and  were  briskly  answered  by  that  of  the 
enemy  under  Lieut.  McLeod.  As  the  British  forces  advanced,  Sin- 
gleton retreated  according  to  orders  to  the  court-house.  The  first 
fire,  from  the  first  line,  behind  the  fence,  was  unexpected  and  very 
destructive.  The  following  extract  of  a  letter  from  Dugald  Stewart, 
a  captain  in  the  army  of  Cornwallis,  to  his  relative  Donald  Stewart 
of  Guilford  county,  North  Carolina,  dated  Ballachelish,  Argyleshire, 
Scotland,  Oct.  25,  1825,  is  taken  from  Mr.  Caruthers. 

"  The  regiment  to  which  I  belonged,  the  71st  or  Frazier's  High- 
landers, was  drawn  up  on  the  left  of  the  British  line  alono-  with 
the  23d,  or  Welsh  Fusileers,  with  some  other  regiments.     In  the 


276  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

advance  we  received  a  very  deadly  fire  from  the  Irish  line  of  the 
American  army,  composed  of  their  marksmen  lying  on  the  ground 
behind  a  rail-fence.  One  half  of  the  Highlanders  dropt  on  that 
spot.  There  ought  to  be  a  pretty  large  tumulus  where  our  men 
were  buried."  This  "  Irish  line"  and  these  "  marksmen"  in  the 
front  line  were  probably  the  company  of  volunteers  under  Captain 
John  Forbes  from  the  Alamance,  made  up  of  his  friends  and  neigh- 
bors, the  Allisons,  the  Kerrs,  the  Wileys,  the  Paisleys  and  others, 
who  had  come  to  take  part  in  the  battle.  Captain  Forbes  fired  the 
first  gun ;  his  men  saw  a  British  officer  fall ;  they  gave  their  "  deadly 
fire,"  and  repeated  it,  and  then  retreated.  Forbes  in  the  retreat 
received  a  mortal  wound.  William  Paisley,  the  father  of  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Paisley,  was  also  wounded,  but  not  mortally.  Had  the  whole 
front  line  behaved  as  gallantly,  the  fortune  of  the  day  would  have 
been  still  more  disastrous  to  the  invaders.  But  there  were  some 
who  thought  "  discretion  the  better  part  of  valor" — "  that  he  that 
fights  and  runs  away,  may  live  to  fight  another  day."  The  British 
line  resumed  its  march,  inclining  to  the  left  in  front  of  the  regulars 
under  Greene,  with  whom  the  sharpest  contest  was  anticipated. 
Encountering  the  second  line  of  militia  and  volunteers,  the  enemy 
met  another  unexpected  reception  from  the  Virginia  marksmen. 
The  right  of  that  line  under  General  Lawson  wheeled  round  upon 
their  left,  and  then  retreated  in  confusion.  Col.  Webster,  who  led 
the  British  left,  then  advanced  upon  the  regulars  under  Col.  Gunby. 
The  left  of  the  second  line  of  militia  and  volunteers  was  encountered 
by  the  British  right  under  General  Leslie,  and  maintained  their 
ground,  alternately  advancing  upon  the  enemy  and  then  retreating 
to  their  original  position,  till  the  retreat  of  the  regulars  under  Greene. 
In  a  short  diary  kept  by  a  Virginia  rifleman  who  stood  on  the  left 
of  the  second  line,  who  said  he  discharged  his  rifle  fourteen  times 
that  afternoon,  Samuel  Houston,  afterwards  so  long  the  pastor  of  the 
Highbridge  congregation,  Rockbridge  county,  Virginia, — he  says 
that,  before  the  battle,  he  retired  and  committed  himself  to  the  mer- 
ciful providence  of  God ;  and  then, "  standing  in  readiness, 

we  heard  the  pickets  fire.  Shortly,  the  English  fired  a  cannon, 
which  was  answered,  and  so  on  alternately  till  the  small-armed 
troops  came  nigh,  and  then  close  firing  began  near  the  centre  but 
rather  towards  the  right,  and  soon  spread  along  the  line.  Our 
Brigade-Major,  Mr.  Williams,  fled.  Presently  came  two  men  to  us 
and  informed  us  the  British  fled.  Soon  the  enemy  appeared  to  us. 
We  fired  on  their  flank,  and  shot  down  many  of  them.  At  which 
time  Captain  Telford  was  killed.     We  pursued  them  about  forty 


BATTLE    OF    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE.  277 

poles,  to  the  top  of  a  hill,  when  they  stood,  and  we  retreated  from 
them  back  to  where  we  formed ; — then  we  repulsed  them  again ; 
and  they  a  second  time  made  us  retreat  back  to  our  first  ground, 
when  we  were  deceived  by  a  regiment  of  Hessians,  whom  we  took 
for  our  own,  and  cried  out  to  them  to  see  if  they  were  our  friends, 
and  shouted  aloud  Liberty,  Liberty,  and  advanced  up,  till  they  let 
off  some  guns ;  then  we  fired  sharply  on  them  and  made  them  re- 
treat a  little,  but  presently  their  light -horse  came  on  us,  and  not 
being  defended  by  our  light-horse,  nor  reinforced,  though  firing 
had  long  ceased  in  all  other  parts,  we  were  obliged  to  run,  and 
many  were  sore  chased  and  some  cut  down.  We  lost  our  Major 
and  Captain  then.  We  all  scattered ;  and  some  of  our  party,  and 
Campbell's,  and  Mofhtt's,  collected  together,  and  with  Campbell  and 
Moffitt  and  Major  Pooge,  we  marched  to  head-quarters." 

It  is  stated  by  Johnson,  that  General  Stevens  placed  in  the  rear  of 
the  left  of  this  second  line  some  good  marksmen,  with  orders  to 
shoot  down  any  of  his  men  that  deserted  the  ranks.  It  is  also  well 
known  that  this  part  of  the  line  kept  its  position  till  Greene  ordered 
a  general  retreat. 

Let  us  go  to  the  fiercest  part  of  the  battle.  The  oourt-house  is 
gone  ;  the  village  is  wasted  to  a  house  ;  the  actors  in  that  eventful 
strife  are  all  passed  away ; — but  the  face  of  the  country  is  un- 
changed ;  the  open  fields  and  the  woods  retain  the  relative  posi- 
tion of  sixty  years  since.  Taking  your  stand  on  this  highest  ground, 
where  the  court-house  stood,  you  may  look  over  the  whole  battle- 
field of  the  sharpest  contest.  Directly  in  front,  to  the  south,  is  the 
open  rolling  field  across  which  the  gallant  Webster  led  his  regi- 
ment, as  boldly  as  if  his  life  was  charmed  against  powder  and  lead, 
on  to  attack  the  first  Maryland  regiment,  renowned  for  their  con- 
duct at  the  Cowpens.  The  gallant  colonel's  regiment  recoiled  at  the 
first  deadly  fire,  and  gave  way  before  the  advance  of  the  Maryland- 
ers.  Grievously  wounded,  Webster  rallied  his  men  on  the  skirts  of 
the  wood  in  front  of  you,  and  in  a  little  time  was  ready  to  re-enter 
the  battle.  From  the  Salisbury  road,  Leslie  sends  down  two  regi- 
ments to  advance  upon  the  second  Maryland  regiment,  which  be- 
haved in  an  unsoldierlike  manner,  and  did  nothing  worthy  of  their 
name.  O'Harra  hastened  on  with  two  regiments  to  the  flank  of 
Howard  regaining  his  line,  and  made  an  attack  on  the  second  Ma- 
ryland regiment,  which  gave  way  and  fled.  Just  then,  Colonel 
Washington  rapidly  passed  by  the  head  of  Leslie's  regiment,  leaped 
a  ravine  with  his  corps  unseen,  and  made  a  terrible  onset  upon  the 
Queen's  Guards,  exulting  in  their  victory  over  the  second  regiment. 


278  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

The  carnage  was  dreadful.  At  this  time  it  was,  as  Lieutenant 
Holcomb  related  to  Dr.  Jones  of  Nottaway,  that  the  noted  Francisco 
performed  a  deed  of  blood  without  a  parallel.  In  that  short  ren- 
counter, he  cut  down  eleven  men  with  his  brawny  arm  and  terrible 
broadsword.  One  of  the  guards  thrust  his  bayonet,  and  in  spite  of 
the  parrying  of  Francisco's  sword,  pinned  his  leg  to  the  horse. 
Francisco  forbore  to  strike,  but  assisted  him  to  extricate  his  bay- 
onet. As  the  soldier  turned  and  fled,  he  made  a  furious  blow  with 
his  sword,  and  cleft  the  poor  fellow's  head  down  to  his  shoulders. 
The  force  of  the  blow,  added  to  the  soldier's  speed,  sent  him  on  a 
number  of  steps,  with  his  cleft  head  hanging  upon  each  shoulder,, 
before  he  fell.  The  astonished  beholders  shouted,  "  Did  you  ever 
see  the  like  ?"  Howard,  with  the  1st,  came  rushing  on  them, 
and  the  contest  was  renewed  in  a  most  desperate  manner  about  mid- 
way between  the  court-house  and  the  woods  in  front.  This  was 
the  crisis  of  the  battle.  Cornwallis  came  down  from  his  post,  where 
the  Salisbury  road  enters  the  wood,  to  the  hollow,  to  see  the  con- 
dition of  the  battle,  and  under  the  cover  of  the  smoke,  rode  up  to 
that  old  oak  just  in  the  skirts  of  the  fiery  contest.  Washington, 
who  had  drawn  off  his  troops,  was  hovering  round  to  watch  his  op- 
portunity for  another  onset,  and  approached  that  same  oak  unper- 
ceived  by  his  lordship ;  stopping  to  beckon  on  his  men  to  move 
and  intercept  the  officer,  then  unknown  to  him,  he  happened  to 
strike  his  unlaced  helmet  from  his  head.  On  recovering  it,  he  per- 
ceived the  white  horse  that  carried  the  officer  on  the  full  gallop 
towards  the  artillery  posted  on  the  rising  ground,  where  the  road 
emerges  from  the  woods.  His  lordship  gave  orders  to  Lieutenant 
McLeod  to  charge  with  grape-shot,  and  fire  in  upon  the  contending 
mass  of  men.  O'Harra,  who  had  been  carried  wounded  to  that  po- 
sition, heard  the  fatal  orders,  and  begged  the  commander  to  spare 
his  fine  troops.  His  lordship  repeated  the  order  sternly,  and  stood 
by  the  devouring  cannon  till  the  regiments  who  were  yielding 
ground  to  the  Maryland  forces  rallied,  and  bravely,  or  rather  des- 
perately, renewed  the  contest.  This  rally  decided  the  fate  of  the 
day.     Greene  drew  off  his  forces. 

At  the  time  Cornwallis  was  in  danger  of  being  taken  by  Washing- 
ton, Greene,  also,  going  down  to  survey  the  battle  and  learn  the  con- 
dition of  his  forces,  under  cover  of  the  smoke,  approached  within  a 
few  steps  of  a  large  force  of  the  enemy  ;  discovering  his  perilous 
condition,  he  slowly  retreated  and  escaped  without  observation.  In 
a  letter  to  his  lady,  the  day  after  the  battle,  he  says — "  I  had  not  the 
honor  of  being  wounded,  but  was  very  near  being  taken,  having 


BATTLE    OF    GUILFORD    COURT-HOUSE.  279 

rode  in  the  heat  of  the  action,  full  tilt,  directly  into  the  midst  of  the 
enemy ;  but  by  Col.  Harris  calling  to  me  and  advertising  me  of  my 
situation  I  had  just  time  to  escape." 

The  consequences  of  this  battle  are  well  known — the  retreat  of 
Cornwallis,  and  the  delivery  of  Carolina. 

During  this  eventful  Thursday,  all  the  active  men  in  Dr.  Caldwell's 
congregation  were  in  some  way  engaged  with  the  army  ;  and  we 
are  told  by  Mr.  Caruthers  that  there  were  two  collections  of  females, 
one  in  Buffalo,  and  the  other  in  Alamance,  engaged  in  most  earnest 
prayer  for  their  families  and  their  country ;  many  others  sought  the 
divine  aid  in  solitary  places.  One  pious  lady  sent  her  son,  often, 
during  the  afternoon,  to  the  summit  of  a  little  hill  near  which  she 
spent  much  time  in  prayer,  to  listen  and  bring  her  word  which  way 
the  firing  came,  from  the  southward  or  the  northward.  When  he 
returned  and  said  it  was  going  northward — "  Then,"  exclaimed  she, 
"  all  is  lost,  Greene  is  defeated."  But  all  was  not  lost ;  the  God  that 
hears  prayer  remembered  his  people. 

The  invaders  left  the  ground  the  next  day,  and  all  the  country 
around  were  busy  in  burying  the  dead  and  carrying  off  their  woun- 
ded, many  of  whom  lay  the  cold  wet  night  after  the  battle  exposed 
upon  the  ground.  Capt.  Forbis  lay  about  thirty  hours  before  he 
was  discovered  by  his  friends.  He  was  then  found  by  an  old  lady, 
who  was  searching  the  woods  for  a  relative  He  survived  a  short 
time  after  being  carried  to  his  house.  He  declared  before  his  death, 
that  on  the  day  after  the  battle  a  tory  of  his  acquaintance  passed 
by  him  and  recognized  him,  and  instead  of  giving  him  a  little 
water,  for  which  he  craved,  to  quench  his  raging  fhurst,  kicked  him 
and  cursed  him  as  a  rebel.  After  the  death  of  Forbis,  that  man  was 
found  suspended  on  a  tree  before  his  own  door. 

The  strength  of  the  tories  had  been  greatly  increased  by  the 
presence  of  the  British  forces,  and  the  policy  of  Cornwallis.  The 
feuds  and  bloodshed  in  the  neighborhood  were  indescribable  for  their 
vexations,  and  often  for  their  atrocities.  For  a  short  time  after  the 
battle  these  were  more  bitter.  The  entire  departure  of  the  invaders 
permitted  the  country  to  resume  its  quiet,  and  pursue  their  occupa- 
tions in  comparative  peacefulness. 

The  battle  at  the  court-house  abounded  in  acts  of  heroism  and 
also  of  cowardice.  In  that  contest,  when  the  grape  shot  poured  upon 
the  contending  forces,  it  is  said  some  of  the  British  officers  fell  as  if 
dead,  and  were  plundered,  but  after  the  battle  were  not  reported 
either  among  the  wounded  or  missing. 

The  gallant  Webster,  that  escaped  so  remarkably  at  Wetzell's 


280  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Mills,  and  rallied  his  broken  forces  so  nobly  and  came  back  into 
the  action,  died  of  the  wounds  received  in  his  charge  upon  the 
Maryland  regiment.  He  accompanied  the  retreating  army  as  far  as 
Bladen  county,  and  with  the  sympathy  of  his  enemies,  as  well  as  the 
king's  forces,  was  consigned  to  his  grave,  near  Elizabeth,  the  county 
seat.  There  was  no  fear  his  grave  would  be  profaned.  When 
General  Philips  died  at  Petersbury,  Virginia,  some  time  after,  his 
grave  was  secreted  through  fear  of  the  irritated  country,  lest  his 
cruelties  should  be  visited  on  his  ashes. 

The  Virginia  militia  and  volunteers,  that  maintained  their  ground 
so  bravely  and  received  so  much  applause  for  their  soldierlike  con- 
duct, were  from  Augusta  and  Rockbridge  counties,  and  almost  to  a 
man  the  descendants  of  Scotch-Irish.  Some  of  the  congregation  of 
the  noted  Graham  were  there ;  and  a  company  from  the  congrega- 
tion of  the  silver-tongued  Waddel,  the  Blind  Preacher  of  Mr.  Wirt, 
heard  a  farewell  address  from  him,  while  under  arms  ready  to  march. 
Many  that  marched  returned  no  more ;  and  others  bore  the  marks 
of  deep  gashes  from  the  light-horse  broadswords  the  remainder 
of  their  days.  The  last  of  these  men  were  lately  carried  to  their 
graves. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  281 


CHAPTER  XXn. 

MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  CAROLINAS,  FROM  1788  TO 
1801  INCLUSIVE. 

When  it  was  finally  determined,  in  May,  1788,  by  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia,  to  constitute  a  General  Assembly  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church,  in  the  United  States  of  America,  as  a 
preliminary  step  some  new  Synods  were  first  set  off,  of  which  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas  was  one  ;  by  the  following  resolutions  the 
way  was  open  for  its  meeting: — " Resolved,  that  tlffc  Synod  of 
the  Carolinas  meet  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  November  next,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  A.M.,  at  Centre  church,  in  Rowan  county,  and 
that  Mr.  Pattillo,  or,  in  his  absence,  the  senior  minister  present, 
open  the  Synod  with  a  sermon,  and  preside  till  a  moderator  be 
chosen."  The  Presbyteries  that,  united,  formed  the  Synod,  were 
Orange,  in  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,  in  the  State  of  the 
same  name,  and  Abingdon,  principally  in  Tennessee. 

The  members  of  Orange  Presbytery  were  Rev.  Messrs.  Henry 
Pattillo,  David  Caldwell,  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  James  Hall,  Ro- 
bert Archibald,  James  McRee,  Jacob  Lake,  Daniel  Thatcher, 
David  Barr,  John  Beck,  in  all  ten.  Those  of  South  Carolina, 
James  Edmonds,  John  Harris,  Joseph  Alexander,  John  Simpson, 
Thomas  Reese,  Thomas  H.  McCaule,  James  Templeton,  Fran- 
cis Cummins,  Robert  Finley,  Robert  Hall,  Robert  Mecklin  ;  in 
all  eleven.  Of  Abingdon  Presbytery,  Charles  Cummins,  Heze- 
kiah  Balch,  John  Cossan,  Samuel  Houston,  Samuel  Carrick, 
James  Balch,  in  all  seven.     Total  in  the  Synod,  twenty-eight. 

From  the  records  of  the  twenty-five  sessions  which  this  Synod 
held,  previously  to  its  division  in  1813,  such  extraets  will  be  made 
as  are  of  abiding  interest,  or  necessary  to  give  a  succinct  account 
of  the  doings  of  a  pious  and  active  body  of  men,  Avhose  names 
and  doings  should  not  be  forgotten.  In  some  cases  a  brief  state- 
ment will  be  made,  embracing  the  spirit  of  the  records  for  the 
sake  of  brevity  ;  in  others  the  very  words  will  be  given,  which 
will  be  indicated  by  the  common  quotation  marks.  The  exact 
words  will  be  given  whenever  they  appear  to  be  of  importance . 


282  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  SESSION    I. 

"  Centre  Church,  State  of  North  Carolina,      \ 
November  5th,  1788.  > 

"  The  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  met  according  to  the  appointment 
of  the  late  Synod  of  New  York  ard  Philadelphia,  convened  in 
May,  1788.  Members  present  were,  of  the  Presbytery  of  Orange, 
the  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  James  Hall, 
Robert  Archibald,  James  McRee,  and  Jacob  Lake,  ministers  ; 
with  elders,  Messrs.  Wm.  Anderson,  McNeely,  Harris,  King, 
Robert  Irwin,  and  John  Dickey. 

"  Of  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  the  Rev.  James  Temple- 
ton,  Francis  Cummins,  Robert  Hall,  ministers ;  with  elders, 
Messrs.  Martin  and  Hamilton. 

"  Of  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon,  the  Rev.  Samuel  Houston. 
One  new  member,  it  appears,  had  been  added  to  the  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina,  John  Newton,  and  one  had  died,  Robert  Mecklin. 
The  Synod  was  opened  by  the  Rev.  David  Caldwell  being  the 
senior  member  present,  after  which  Synod  was  constituted  with 
prayer.  The  Rev.  David  Caldwell  was  chosen  moderator,  and 
Rev.  James  McRee  and  Robert  Hall  clerks." 

The  Committee  of  Overtures  read  the  following  : — "  That  the 
committee  think  it  highly  necessary  that  Synod  should  inquire 
respecting  a  certain  report  injurious  to  the  credit  of  the  late  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  namely,  that  said  Synod  had  cast 
off  the  larger  catechism,  and  that  with  difficulty  the  shorter  was 
retained."  The  Synod,  in  consequence  of  examining  into  the 
above  report,  and  having  received  what  they  considered  as  authentic 
testimony  to  the  contrary,  concluded  the  report  to  be  totally  false. 
"  Resolved,  that  it  be  enjoined  on  the  several  members  of  Synod, 
to  take  an  account,  when  it  may  appear  that  the  above  false  and 
scandalous  report  is  injurious  to  the  credit  of  religion,  and  call 
those  who  propagated  it  before  their  respective  jurisdiction,  and  if 
found  guilty  without  being  able  to  give  their  author,  that  they  be 
treated  according  to  the  demerit  of  their  crime. 

"  Synod  adjourned  to  meet  at  Poplar  Tent,  on  the  first  Wednes- 
day in  September  next.     Concluded  with  prayer." 

"  SESSION    II. 

"  Poplar  Tent,  State  of  North  Carolina,      ) 
September  2d,  1789.  5 
"  The  Synod  met  according  to  adjournment,  and  was  opened  by 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  283 

the  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  with  a  sermon  from  Psalms  ii.,  6."  Two 
members  were  reported  as  added  to  the  Presbytery  of  South  Caro- 
lina, Robert  McCullock  and  William  C.  Davis,  and  one  dismiss- 
ed, Robert  Finley.  It  appeared  that  the  Presbytery  of  Orange 
had  received  the  Rev.  David  Kerr,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Tem- 
ple Patrick,  in  Ireland,  as  a  member  in  good  standing ;  the  Synod 
proceeded  to  consider  his  credentials  and  collateral  testimony,  ap- 
proved of  the  proceeding  and  invited  him  to  a  seat. 

The  report  about  the  larger  catechism  being  cast  off  was  further 
considered,  and  it  appearing  the  Rev.  Robert  Finley,  lately  dis- 
missed from  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  was  implicated  in 
that  report,  Synod  ordered  a  letter  to  be  written  to  him,  and  ano- 
ther to  the  Presbytery  of  which  he  is  a  member. 

"  Overtures, — Whether  persons  who  practise  dancing,  revel- 
ling, horse-racing,  and  card-playing,  are  to  be  admitted  to  sealing 
ordinances  ?  Synod,  taking  into  consideration  these  and  other 
things  of  a  similar  tendency,  Resolved,  that  they  are  wrong  ;  and 
the  practisers  of  them  ought  not  to  be  admitted  to  sealing  ordi 
nances,  until  they  be  dealt  with  by  their  spiritual  rulers  in  such 
manner  as  to  them  may  appear  most  for  the  glory  of  God,  their 
own  good,  and  the  good  of  the  church." 

"  Overture, — Are  persons  who  habituall)7  neglect  to  attend 
public  worship,  on  fast  or  thanksgiving  days,  admissible  to  seal- 
ing ordinances  ?  Synod  unanimously  agree  that  such  conduct  is 
inconsistent  with  the  Christian  character  ;  a  disrespect  paid  to  the 
call  of  God  in  his  providences,  and  the  authority  of  the  church  ; 
offensive  to  the  sober-minded,  and  in  point  of  example  injurious 
to  others." 

The  Synod  then  proceeded  to  order  all  its  members  to  read  the 
proceedings  of  Synod  on  the  overtures  in  all  their  churches,  and 
in  the  vacancies. 

On  a  reference  from  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina,  after  delibe- 
ration, Synod  "  Judged,  that  the  marriage  of  John  Latham,  of 
Waxhaw,  with  his  deceased  wife's  sister's  daughter,  is  criminal 
and  highly  offensive  ;  and  that  all  such  marriages  are  truly  de- 
testable, and  ought  to  be  strenuously  discountenanced  ;  and  that 
said  Latham,  in  his  present  standing,  is  by  no  means  admissible 
to  the  sealing  ordinances  of  the  church."  This  is  referred  to  in 
the  thirteenth  session. 


284  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  SESSION    III. 

"Bethany,  Oct.  6  {Wednesday),  1790. 

"  Synod  met  agreeably  to  adjournment,  and  was  opened  with  a 
sermon  preached  by  the  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo  (the  moderator  being 
absent),  from  Acts  xxvi.,  18." 

Mr.  Pattillo  was  chosen  moderator,  Mr.  John  Springer  was 
reported  as  having  been  added  to  the  Presbytery  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  Mr.  Houston  as  having  been  dismissed  from  Abingdon. 
The  Synod  examined  and  approved  the  proceedings  of  Orange 
Presbytery,  in  receiving  the  Rev.  Wm.  Moore  from  the  Presby- 
tery of  Hanover.  (The  proceedings  had  been  regular,  but  Synod 
took  the  oversight  of  receiving  members  from  other  bodies.) 

"  Overtured,  That  Dr.  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress  of  Reli- 
gion, and  his  ten  sermons  on  Regeneration,  be  printed  by  con- 
tributions raised  by  the  members  of  Synod. 

"  Ordered,  that  the  Rev.  James  M'Ree  request  the  printers  in 
Fayetteville  to  publish  in  their  Gazette  the  terms  on  which  they 
will  print,  bind,  and  letter  the  above  books. 

"  Ordered,  that  each  Presbytery  make  provisions  that  they  be 
represented  in  the  General  Assembly. 

"  The  Synod  recommended  that  the  last  Wednesday  in  next 
month  be  observed  as  a  day  of  public  thanksgiving  to  God,  as  an 
acknowledgment  of  his  goodness  in  the  plentiful  crops  of  the 
present  year." 

SESSION    IV. 

Thyatira,  Oct.  5th  {Wednesday),  1791. 

In  the  absence  of  the  moderator,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Alexander 
opened  the  Synod,  with  a  sermon  from  John  ix.,  35,  and  was 
chosen  moderator.  South  Carolina  Presbytery  reported  one  ad- 
ded, James  Stephenson. 

The  Synod  took  action  on  the  subject  of  reprinting  Doddridge's 
Rise  and  Progress,  and  his  ten  sermons  on  Regeneration,  and 
appointed  a  member  of  each  Presbytery  to  see  to  it  that  pro- 
posals were  circulated  to  obtain  subscriptions  in  all  the  congrega- 
tions ;  and  if  the  numbers,  as  returned  from  the  Spring  meetings 
of  Presbyteries,  amounted  to  fifteen  hundred,  the  committee  of 
Synod  was  to  forward  a  list  to  the  printer,  that  the  work  be  com- 
menced. 

The  elders  and  congregation  at  Stony  Creek  having  sent  up  for 


MINUTES    OF    THE    SYNOD.  285 

advice  respecting  the  use  of  Dr.  Watts's  Hymns,  in  public  wor- 
ship, it  was  resolved,  "  that  the  petitioners  be  referred  to  the 
General  Assembly,  as  the  Synod  do  not  conceive  that  it  lies  with 
them  to  sanction  any  system  of  psalmody,  other  than  such  sys- 
tems as  may  be  sanctioned  by  the  General  Assembly." 

The  Committee  of  Overtures  presented  the  following  questions, 
"  Are  they  who  publicly  profess  a  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  the 
universal  and  actual  salvation  of  the  whole  human  race,  or  of 
the  fallen  angels,  or  both,  through  the  mediation  of  Christ,  to  be 
admitted  to  the  sealing  ordinances  of  the  gospel  ?  Wherefore, 
resolved,  that  although  the  Synod  set  themselves  unanimously 
against  the  doctrine  of  universal  salvation,  as  an  article  of  be- 
lief, yet  as  the  question  involves  some  difficulty  respecting  ad- 
mission to  sealing  ordinances,  the  said  question  be  sent  up  to  the 
General  Assembly  for  their  decision.     (See  next  session.) 

"  The  Committee  of  Overtures  laid  the  following  questions  be- 
fore Synod  for  consideration :  "  Should  church  sessions  require 
an  assent  to,  and  approbation  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  and 
larger  or  shorter  catechisms,  previously  to  their  admitting  persons 
to  sealing  ordinances  ?"  On  this  subject,  "  Resolved,  that  the 
proceedings  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia 
General  Assembly  are  sufficient  to  direct  our  members  in  that 
matter. 

"  Resolved,  that  the  following  ministers  and  elders  be  a  Stand- 
ing Commission  of  Synod,  and  particularly  to  take  up  and  issue 
the  affair  of  Mr.  Cossan,  if  not  issued  by  the  Presbytery  of  Ab- 
ingdon, viz  :  the  Rev.  Samuel  E.  M'Corkle,  moderator,  James 
Hall,  James  Templeton,  James  M'Ree,  Robert  Hall,  Wm.  C. 
Davies,  and  Charles  Cummins  ;  with  elders,  John  Dickey,  John 
M'Knitt  Alexander,  Adam  Beard,  William  Cathey,  William  An- 
derson, Joseph  Feemster,  and  John  Nelson.  The  moderator's 
council  to  consist  of  one  minister,  besides  himself,  and  one  elder. 
Two  ministers  besides  the  moderator,  and  as  many  of  the  above 
elders  as  may  be  present,  to  constitute  a  quorum." 

(From  this  time,  Commission  of  Synod  was  a  regular  appoint- 
ment, with  few  intermissions.  Much  important  business  was 
done  by  them,  and  their  decision  was  final.) 

"  On  motion,  Resolved,  that  it  be  enjoined  on  the  several  Pres- 
byteries to  take  as  effectual  measures  as  possible  for  collecting 
materials  for  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  churches  in  America, 
and  that  returns  of  the  said  materials  be  made  to  the  General 
Assembly  as  early  as  possible." 


286  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

At  this  meeting  the  Synod  took  up  the  subject  of  domestic  mis- 
sions, and  resolved  to  send  out  four  missionaries  to  act  in  the  des- 
titute regions  each  side  of  the  Alleghanies.  The  direction  of 
missionaries  to  be  in  the  commission  of  Synod  during  recess  of 
Synod  ;  their  support  fixed  at  two  hundred  dollars  annually.  It 
was  made  the  duty  of  the  missionaries  to  ascertain  who  of  the 
families  they  visited  wished  to  receive  the  gospel  from  the  Presby- 
terians, and  make  report ;  they  were  also  to  make  collections 
where  they  preached.  The  persons  appointed  were  James  Tem- 
pleton  and  Robert  Hall,  of  South  Carolina  Presbytery ;  and  Robert 
Archibald,  with  the  Licentiate  John  Bowman,  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Orange.     Each  was  to  labor  for  six  months. 

The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported  at  this  meeting,  that  seven 
of  their  ministers  had  stated  charges  ;  three  temporary  charges  ; 
and  one  no  charge  ;  two  probationers,  who  have  calls  under  con- 
sideration ;  three  who  have  accepted  calls  ;  and  six  who  have  not 
calls  ;  and  five  candidates  ;  thirteen  vacancies  able  to  support  seven 
pastors  ;  and  eighteen  not  able  to  support  one.  The  Presbytery 
of  South  Carolina  reported  as  follows  :  ten  ministers  with  stated 
charges  ;  three  without  any  charge  ;  two  licentiates  ;  and  nine 
candidates  ;  thirteen  vacancies  able  to  support  nine  pastors  ;  twen- 
ty-nine not  able  to  support  one.  The  names  of  pastors  are  not 
given  annexed  to  their  churches. 

"  SESSION  V. 

"  Bethesda,  October  Ath  (Wednesday),  1792. 

"  Synod  met  pursuant  to  adjournment,  and  was  opened  with  a 
sermon  from  Matt.  xi.  6,  preached  by  the  Rev.  Joseph  Alexander, 
the  Moderator."  "  The  Rev.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  D.D.,  was 
chosen  Moderator."  The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported  three 
members  added  by  ordination,  William  Hodges,  James  Wallis,  and 
Samuel  C.  Caldwell ;  the  two  last  mentioned  were  invited  to  seats. 
The  question  sent  up  to  the  last  Assembly  was  taken  up,  and  the 
following  minute  made  : — "  This  Synod  at  their  last  sessions  hav- 
ing sent  on  a  question  to  the  General  Assembly  respecting  the 
admission  or  non-admission  of  those  who  profess  their  belief  in 
the  doctrine  of  Universal  Redemption,  have  it  in  their  power  to 
refer  the  public  in  general,  and  the  members  of  our  church  in  par- 
ticular, to  the  decision  of  the  General  Assembly  on  that  subject, 
which  is  as  follows  : — In  General  Assembly,  May,  1792,  a  ques- 
tion from  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  was  introduced  through  the 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  287 

Committee  of  Bills  and  Overtures,  which  was  as  follows  :  '  Are 
those  who  publicly  profess  a  belief  in  the  doctrine  of  universal  and 
actual  salvation  of  the  whole  human  race,  or  of  the  fallen  angels, 
or  both,  through  the  mediation  of  Christ,  to  be  admitted  to  the 
sealing  ordinances  of  the  gospel  V  The  Assembly  determined  that 
such  persons  should  not  be  admitted." 

It  being  ascertained  that  800  subscribers  could  be  obtained  for 
Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress,  &c,  Dr.  McCorkle  and  Rev.  Jas. 
McRee  were  appointed  agents  to  transact  with  the  printer  in  behalf 
of  Synod.  (This  scheme  of  benevolent  improvement  occupied 
the  Synod  for  some  years,  as  will  be  seen  ;  and  finally  failed,  after 
a  large  amount  of  money  had  been  expended.) 

By  report  made  to  Synod,  it  appears  the  commission  of  Synod 
had  held  two  meetings  to  transact  the  missionary  business  which 
had  been  committed  to  them.  The  first,  in  October,  1791,  at 
Thyatira  church,  in  which  they  drew  up  rules  and  instruc- 
tions for  the  missionaries,  and  gave  commissions  to  Rev.  James 
Templeton,  and  Robert  Hall,  to  act  for  four  months  each  in  the 
lower  parts  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia,  before  the  middle  of 
the  succeeding  April ;  and  Rev.  Robert  Archibald  for  four 
months,  and  Mr.  John  Bowman,  for  three  months,  as  above,  in  the 
lower  parts  of  North  Carolina.  The  only  part  of  the  very  judi- 
cious rules  and  instructions  they  prepared  for  their  missionaries, 
which  requires  attention,  as  differing  from  those  now  given,  is  that 
contained  in  the  third  regulation  :  "  You  are  not  to  tarry  longer 
than  three  weeks  at  the  same  time,  in  the  bounds  of  twenty  miles, 
except  peculiar  circumstances  may  appear  to  make  it  necessary." 
The  next  meeting  was  at  Steele  Creek  church,  in  April,  1792,  to 
receive  the  reports  of  missionaries,  and  give  commissions  for  the 
summer  succeeding. 

They  held  a  third  meeting  for  judicial  business  at  Salem 
church,  on  the  Nolachuckee,  in  September,  to  attend  to  a  case  of 
discipline  between  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon  and  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Cossan. 

The  Synod  approved  of  the  doings  of  the  commission  after 
hearing  their  minutes  read  : — and  Synod,  on  a  review  of  the  whole 
of  the  minutes  of  said  commissioners,  concurred  in  their  approba- 
tion of  all  their  proceedings  since  appointed  to  that  office.  There 
is  one  act  of  the  commissioners  to  be  noticed  ;  it  was  determined 
by  them,  while  at  Salem,  that  if  either  party  felt  aggrieved  by 
this  decision,  they  should  have  a  re-hearing  before  Synod  ;  but  no 
advantage  was  taken  of  it. 


388  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Orange  Presbytery  reported  their  admission  of  the  Rev.  Colin 
Lindsey,  from  Europe,  as  a  member  of  their  body ;  of  their  pro- 
ceedings the  Synod  approved. 

SESSION    VI. 

"Sugaw  Creek,  Oct.  2d,  1793." 

The  Synod  met  in  regular  sessions,  and  was  opened  with  a  ser- 
mon by  the  Rev.  Dr.  McCorkle,  from  1st  Cor.  xii.  13.  Rev. 
James  Templeton  was  chosen  moderator.  Rev.  Humphrey  Hun- 
ter and  Robert  Cunningham  were  reported  from  Peerly,  of  South 
Carolina,  as  new  members  ;  and  Lewis  Fuileteau  Wilson,  James 
M'Gready,  Joseph  Kilpatrick,  Alexander  Caldwell,  and  Angus 
McDiarmid  (a  licentiate  from  Europe,  ordained  by  the  Presbytery), 
were  reported  from  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  ;  and  Samuel  Doake, 
from.  Abingdon  Presbytery. 

In  consequence  of  an  overture,  Synod  passed  the  following 
recommendations,  viz.:  "  That  members  of  the  church  transgress- 
ing the  rules  thereof,  be  called  on  as  soon  as  convenient  to  account 
for  their  conduct,  and  not  wait  till  they  may  ask  the  privileges  of 
the  church."  Notice  of  this  recommendation  was  sent  to  all  the 
absent  members  of  Synod. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  the  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo, 
viz. : 

"  TO    THE    MODERATOR. 

"  G-ranville,  3d  September,  1793. 

"  Rev.  and  dear  Brother — From  the  pleasure  you  enjoy  in  at- 
tending church  judications,  you  can  conjecture  my  mortification  in 
being  denied  them.  But  my  advanced  age,  and  the  great  distance 
refuse  me  the  privilege.  I  bless  the  great  Lord  of  the  harvest 
that  he  is  sending  so  many  qualified  laborers  to  work  for  him. 
What  a  number  of  excellent  youth  did  I  see  in  Prince  Edward  at 
a  Presbytery  and  Sacrament  last  spring  !  of  approved  piety,  warm 
zeal  and  indefatigable  diligence,  great  popular  talents,  unstained 
reputation,  and  genteel  behavior.  There  is  scarcely  a  corner  in 
Virginia  where  their  voice  has  not  been  heard  with  pleasure  and 
profit  by  multitudes.  Presbyterianism,  if  that  is  worth  regarding, 
was  never  half  so  extensively  known  and  sought  after  in  that  State 
as  now.  I  hope  these  characteristics  of  persons  and  successes 
agree  to  those  worthy  youths  who  have  been  sent  out  by  us  south 
of  the  Virginia  line.     On  both  sides  they  are  all  young,  thriving 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  289 

American  scions  who  flourish  in  their  native  soil :  we  have  never 
found  the  exotic  plants  of  Europe's  cold  regions  to  thrive  among 
us.  Frazer  and  Patton  were  the  blots  of  human  nature  ;  and 
others  might  be  named,  who  have  been,  or  are  like  to  be,  a  grief 
to  our  hearts,  rather  than  useful  ministers  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  a 
blessing  to  the  churches.  Their  divinity,  if  they  have  one,  is  not 
Jesus  Christ  and  the  power  of  his  grace  in  experimental  religion, — 
their  politics  are  monarchical,  and  suit  not  the  liberal  spirit  of  Ameri- 
can Republicans.  They  will  neither  pray,  preach,  nor  live  like 
pious  youth  bred  among  ourselves.  I  bear  my  testimony  against 
the  admission  of  such  dry  sticks  among  lively  trees  in  our  Ameri- 
can vineyard.  And  I  assure  myself,  my  worthy  and  beloved 
brethren  will  have  nothing  to  do  with  such,  but  call  on  them  to 
know  Jesus  Christ  before  they  preach  him.  Their  admission  must 
be  only  a  speedy  prelude  to  their  expulsion,  while  we  hold  the 
keys,  and  discipline  is  observed  amongst  us.  The  churches  will 
be  much  better  as  vacancies  than  committed  to  stewards  who 
would  feed  them  with  poison,  or  dry  husks  at  best.  If  my  rever- 
end brethren  will  admit  this  letter  to  record,  it  will  speak  for  me 
when  I  am  numbered  with  the  dead. 

"  I  intended  to  send  you  the  history  of  the  Presbyterian  church 
in  these  parts  ;  but  must  omit  that  for  the  present,  and  be  ready 
by  your  spring  meeting.  Bear  one  word  more  on  the  great 
subject.  As  to  Europe,  though  perhaps,  as  Sallust  says  of 
ancient  Rome,  she  may  be  too  old  and  feeble  to  produce  many 
great  men,  yet  .she  knows  how  to  hold  them,  if  they  make  their 
appearance  ;  so  let  it  never  be  said,  that  such  as  she  rejects  should 
be  licked  up  by  America,in  all  the  vigor  of  her  youth  in  Church  and 
State.  One  word  more, — if  there  is  such  a  scarcity  of  ministers,, 
and  there  be  so  great  a  famine  of  the  word  of  the  Lord,  we  had 
infinitely  better  send  forth  pious  laymen,  who  have  trod  the  way, 
and  would  endeavor  to  lead  others  into  it,  than  men  who  have 
nothing  to  recommend  them  but  a  smattering  of  languages  and 
sciences,  while  they  are  the  enemies  of  the  cross  of  Christ,  and 
strangers  to  vital  piety.  My  prayers,  my  wishes,  and,  if  you  will 
forgive  the  expression,  my  fatherly  cares  are  anxiously  employed 
for  you.  May  the  pleasure  of  the  Lord  prosper  in  your  hands. 
"  Your  own  affectionate  brother  and  obedient  servant, 

"  Henry  Pattillo." 

Synod  received  information  that  the  edition  of  Doddridge's  Rise 

19 


290  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

and  Progress,  &c.,  would  be  ready  for  delivery  in  the  month  of 
December. 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported  repeated  meetings,  to  com- 
mission the  missionaries,  mark  out  their  routes,  and  to  receive 
their  reports.  They  reported,  as  having  been  in  their  employ,  the 
following  ministers  : — James  Hall,  Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  in  North 
Carolina  ;  John  Bowman  in  North  Carolina  and  Tennessee  ;  Ro- 
bert McCulloch  in  South  Carolina ;  and  Robert  Cunningham  in 
Georgia.  These  labored  faithfully.  On  making  their  reports  and 
exhibiting  to  the  commission  their  receipts  from  contributions  by 
the  people  to  whom  they  had  preached,  they  declined  receiving 
from  the  Synod  or  the  commission  the  small  balance  of  their  wages. 
The  missionaries  read  their  reports  to  Synod ;  one  of  which  is 
recorded  :  the  other  being  lost  before  the  records  of  Synod  were 
transcribed  into  the  present  folio  volume  for  preservation. 

SESSION    VII. 

Steele  Creek,  Friday,  October  3d,  1794. 

Synod  was  opened,  in  the  absence  of  the  moderator,  by  Rev. 
Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  with  a  sermon  from  Ezekiel  xxiii.,  36 
and  37. 

The  Rev.  James  Hall  was  chosen  moderator. 

New  members  reported  :  From  South  Carolina  Presbytery, — 
Moses  Waddel,  John  Brown,  William  Williamson,  and  Robert 
Wilson :  Abingdon  Presbytery, — Robert  Henderson  and  Gideon 
Blackburn. 

An  inquiry  took  place  in  Synod  respecting  an  absent  member  of 
the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  the  Rev.  Robert  Archibald,  who  was 
charged  by  common  fame  with  preaching  the  doctrine  of  universal 
restoration  of  mankind  :  and  the  Orange  Presbytery  having  given 
to  Synod  a  relation  of  their  proceedings  in  regard  to  Mr'.  Archibald 
— "  Synod  advised  that  the  members  of  Orange  resolve  themselves 
into  a  Presbyterial  capacity  and  immediately  decide  on  the  affairs 
of  Mr.  Archibald.  Accordingly,  the  members  of  the  Presbytery 
of  Orange  constituted  and  came  to  the  following  decision 
— That  the  Rev.  Robert  Archibald  be  suspended,  and  he  is 
hereby  suspended  from  the  exercise  of  his  ministerial  office,  and 
from  the  communion  of  our  church.  And  Synod  ordered  that 
each  member  of  their  respective  Presbyteries  publish  in  his  own 
and  in  vacant  congregations  the  decision  of  Orange  Presbytery 
relative  to  Mr.  Archibald,  and  warn  them  against  the  reception  of 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  291 

the  above  doctrine  :  and  warn  them  also  against  countenancing  or 
receiving  Mr.  Archibald  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel  in  his  present 
standing." 

The  Synod  received  report  from  South  Carolina  Presbytery,  that 
proper  steps  had  been  taken  to  fully  answer  the  requisition  of  Synod 
respecting  the  history  of  the  churches.  The  members  of  Orange 
Presbytery  were  enjoined  to  send  the  proper  materials  for  the 
history  of  their  churches  to  Rev.  Messrs.  Dr.  McCorkle  and  James 
Hall ;  and  the  members  of  Abingdon,  to  Rev.  Messrs.  Hezekiah 
Balch  and  Robert  Henderson,  before  the  1st  of  December;  that 
they  might  prepare  a  narrative  for  the  inspection  of  their  Presby- 
teries at  the  spring  meeting ;  and  from  thence  to  be  sent  on  to  the 
next  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly. 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported  their  various  meetings  and 
appointments.  The  following  missionaries  read  their  reports  of 
travel  and  labor  to  the  Synod  : — Rev.  James  Hall,  a  tour  in  the 
lower  part  of  North  Carolina  ;  Mr.  John  M.  Wilson,  to  the  lower 
part  of  North  Carolina ;  Mr.  Robert  Wilson,  to  the  lower  part  of 
South  Carolina ;  Mr.  John  Robinson,  to  the  lower  part  of  South 
Carolina  ;  Mr.  John  Bowman,t  o  the  lower  part  of  North  Carolina; 
and  Mr.  James  H.  Bowman  to  the  same  region.  The  reports  of 
the  missionaries  were  spread  on  the  minutes  of  Synod,  and  cover 
sixteen  folio  pages,  and  show  great  diligence  in  missionary  work, 
and  the  alarming  want  of  ministers. 

In  consequence  of  an  overture,  Synod  ordered  their  several 
Presbyteries  to  call  on  their  respective  members  and  church  ses- 
sions, and  their  several  licentiates  and  vacancies  to  render  an  ac- 
count, once  a  year,  how  they  discharge  their  respective  duties  to 
each  other ;  "  yet  the  Presbyteries  are  to  conduct,  as  to  vacancies, 
as  prudence  may  direct." 

SESSION    VIII. 

9 

New  Providence,  Thursday,  Oct.  1st,  1795. 

The  Synod  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  James  Tem- 
pleton,  from  Isaiah  lxii.,  6  and  7.  The  Rev.  James  White  Ste- 
phenson was  chosen  moderator.  The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported 
new  members  by  ordination, — John  Robinson,  James  Bowman, 
John  M.  Wilson,  and  John  Carrigan ;  also  Samuel  Stanford  and 
Humphrey  Hunter,  from  other  Presbyteries.  The  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina  reported  Robert  B.  Walker,  William  Montgomery, 
and  David  Dunlap. 


292  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

It  appearing  to  Synod  that  an  ordained  missionary  was  required 
in  the  Western  Territory,  and  it  being  stated  that  Mr.  Wm.  Mc- 
Gee,  of  Orange  Presbytery,  was  willing  to  take  an  appointment 
for  that  purpose — "  Ordered  that  the  Presbytery  be  directed,  and 
they  are  hereby  directed  to  ordain  Mr.  McGee,  as  soon  as  may  be 
convenient,  agreeably  to  the  permission  granted  to  this  Synod,  in 
such  cases,  by  the  General  Assembly,  at  their  sessions  of  last 
May." 

The  Presbytery  of  Orange  was  divided  by  a  line  running  along 
the  Yadkin  River.  The  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo,  David  Caldwell, 
Colin  Lindsey,  David  Kerr,  William  Moore,  William  Hodge, 
James  M'Gready,  Samuel  Stanford,  Angus  McDermaid,  John 
Robinson,  and  James  H.  Bowman,  retain  the  names  of  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Orange,  to  meet  at  New  Hope,  on  the  third  Wednesday 
of  November.  The  Rev.  Henry  Pattillo,  to  preach  the  opening 
sermon  and  preside  ;  in  case  of  his  absence,  the  senior  minister 
present  to  perform  these  duties. 

The  Rev.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  D.D.,  James  Hall,  James 
McRee,  David  Barr,  Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  James  Wallis,  Joseph 
D.  Kilpatrick,  Lewis  F.  Wilson,  Humphrey  Hunter,  Alexander 
Caldwell,  John  M.  Wilson,  and  Joseph  Carragan,  to  be  known  by 
the  name  of  the  Presbytery  of  Concord,  to  meet  at  Centre  Church, 
on  the  last  Tuesday  of  March,  1796,  Mr.  Wallis  to  preach  and 
preside  till  a  moderator  be  chosen. 

Dr.  McCorkle  produced  to  Synod  receipts  for  £80  12s.  9d.  ; 
paid  towards  the  printing  of  Doddridge's  Rise  and  Progress,  &c. 

"  The  Synod  taking  into  consideration  the  unusually  adverse 
dispensation  of  Providence  towards  our  Southern  States,  respecting 
the  fruits  of  the  earth ;  the  critical  situation  of  our  nation  with 
respect  to  Great  Britain  ;  and  the  languishing  state  of  religion  in 
the  church,  do  earnestly  recommend  to  all  the  societies  under  their 
care  to  observe  the  second  Wednesday  of  December  next,  as  a 
day  of  humiliation,  fasting  and  prayer,  to  Almighty  God,  that  he 
may  avert  the  calamities  of  famine,  continue  with  us  the  blessings 
of  peace,  and  favor  his  church  with  a  revival  of  religion." 

SESSION    IX. 

Morganton,  Thursday,  Nov.  3d,  1796. 

The  Synod  was  opened  with  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  Samuel 
Carrick,  from  Psalm  lviii.,  5.  Mr.  Carrick  was  chosen  moderator. 
The  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  reported  new  members — John 


MINUTES    OF    THE    SYNOD.  293 

Foster,  George  E.  Macwhorter,  John  B.Kennedy,  James  Gille- 
land,  and  Samuel  W.  Yongue  ;  and  also  the  Rev.  Thomas  Reese 
and  Thomas  H.  McCaule,  deceased  since  the  last  meeting. 

Upon  inquiry,  it  appeared  that  Dr.  Sibley  had  not  executed  the 
promised  edition  of  Doddridge  ;  and  fears  were  expressed  of  a 
total  failure  of  the  contemplated  edition. 

The  members  of  South  Carolina  Presbytery,  living  west  of 
Savannah  River,  viz.,  Rev.  John  Newton,  John  Springer,  Robert 
M.  Cunningham,  Moses  Waddel,  and  William  Montgomery,  were, 
by  request,  set  off  to  form  a  Presbytery  by  the  name  of  Hope- 
well, to  meet  on  the  third  Thursday  of  March,  1797,  to  be  con- 
stituted by  the  Rev.  John  Springer,  or  in  his  absence,  the  senior 
member. 

The  following  question  was  overtured,  viz.  :  "  Is  it  expedient 
to  admit  baptized  slaves  as  witnesses  in  ecclesiastical  judicatories 
where  others  cannot  be  had  ?"  Answered  in  the  negative.  An 
order  was  passed  enjoining  upon  heads  of  families  the  religious 
instruction  of  their  slaves  ;  and  the  teaching  the  children  of  slaves 
to  read  the  Bible, 

By  documents  from  Abingdon  Presbytery  and  others,  it  appear- 
ed there  had  been  great  excitement  in  that  Presbytery  ;  and  that 
in  consequence,  Rev.  Charles  Cummins,  Edward  Crawford, 
Samuel  Doake,  Joseph  Lake,  and  James  Balch,  had  separated 
themselves  from  their  brethren,  and  formed  the  Independent  Pres- 
bytery of  Abingdon.  The  cause  assigned  was,  that  Rev.  Heze- 
kiah  Balch  had  published  in  the  Knoxville  Gazette,  a  number  of 
Articles  of  Faith,  which  gave  great  offence  to  many  brethren,  and 
also  to  many  of  the  people  ;  the  matter  had  been  laid  before  the 
Presbytery,  and  Mr.  Balch  apologizing  for  some  personal  abuse 
and  imprudent  doings,  and  explaining  his  doctrines  as  not  contrary 
to  the  Confession  of  Faith,  the  majority  were  satisfied  to  dismiss 
the  matter.  The  brethren  mentioned  above,  were  so  dissatisfied 
with  this  conclusion  of  the  matter,  that  they  withdrew  and  formed 
their  Presbytery.  In  their  letter  to  the  Presbytery,  they  say — 
"  There  is  no  manner  of  doubt  but  they,  who  have  declared  them- 
selves Independent,  will  immediately  return  to  the  union,  in  form, 
as  soon  as  they  shall,"  &c.  The  conditions  of  their  return  were, 
dealing  with  Balch,  and  those  who  held  his  sentiments,  and  an 
assurance  of  protection  "  in  preaching  and  exercising  church  disci- 
pline, according  to  the  Confession  of  Faith."  What  Mr.  Balch's 
creed  was,  which  they  considered  erroneous,  does  not  appear. 
The  Synod  directed  letters  to  be  sent  to  the  churches  in  Abingdon 


294  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Presbytery,  and  to  the  Independent  Presbytery  ;  but  what  were 
their  contents  does  not  appear  on  the  records. 

"  A  memorial  was  brought  forward  and  laid  before  Synod,  by 
the  Rev.  James  Gilleland,  stating  his  conscientious  difficulties  in 
receiving  the  advice  of  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  which 
has  enjoined  upon  him  to  be  silent  in  the  pulpit  on  the  subject  of 
the  emancipation  of  the  Africans,  which  injunction  Mr.  Gilleland 
declares  to  be,  in  his  apprehension,  contrary  to  the  counsel  of 
God.  Whereupon  Synod,  after  deliberation  upon  the  matter,  do 
concur  with  the  Presbytery  in  advising  Mr.  Gilleland  to  content 
himself  with  using  his  utmost  endeavors  in  private  to  open  the 
way  for  emancipation,  so  as  to  secure  our  happiness  as  a  people, 
preserve  the  peace  of  the  church,  and  render  them  capable  of  en- 
joying the  blessings  of  liberty.  Synod  is  of  the  opinion,  to  preach 
publicly  against  slavery,,  in  present  circumstances,  and  to  lay 
down  as  the  duty  of  every  one,  to  liberate  those  who  are  under 
their  care,  is  that  which  would  lead  to  disorder,  and  open  the 
way  to  great  confusion." 

Synod  adjourned,  to  meet  at  Mount  Bethel,  on  the  second 
Thursday  in  August,  1797. 


SESSION    X. 

The  minutes  of  the  session  held  at  Mount  Bethel,  near  Green- 
ville, Tennessee,  never  passed  into  the  hands  of  the  stated  clerk. 
It  appears,  however,  from  reference  in  succeeding  minutes,  that 
the  formation  of  the  Independent  Presbytery  was  condemned, 
and  the  members  suspended  ;  and  the  discontent  in  the  bounds 
of  Abingdon  Presbytery  being  very  great,  a  commission  of  Synod 
was  appointed  to  meet  at  Mount  Bethel,  in  November,  to  hear 
and  adjudicate  the  complaints  and  charges  made  against  members 
of  the  Presbytery. 

COMMISSION    OF    SYNOD, 

A  commission  of  Synod,  consisting  of  fourteen  ministers  and 
twelve  elders,  met  at  Mount  Bethel,  near  Greenville,  Tennessee, 
Tuesday,  November  21st,  1797.  Rev.  Francis  Cummins  preached 
from  Romans  viii.,  1st,  and  was  chosen  moderator.  The  first 
step  was  to  set  apart  the  next  day  as  a  day  of  public  fasting  and 
humiliation  before  God.  The  people  were  requested  to  join  with 
them  in  the  services.     The  Rev.   Samuel  Doake,  Jacob  Lake, 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  295 

and  James  Balch,  appeared,  and  having  declared  their  submission 
to  Synod,  and  disavowing  their  independence,  and  confessing 
their  irregularity,  and  declaring  their  return  to  order,  the  com- 
mission removed  their  suspension,  and  restored  them  to  the  full 
exercise  of  the  ministerial  office. 

Various  charges  were  exhibited  against  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch, 
and  the  witnesses  brought  forward,  and  their  testimony  given. 
1st.  He  was  charged  with  contradicting  himself  in  a  certain  state- 
ment about  Drs.  Hopkins  and  Edwards  being  members  of  the 
association  of  Connecticut,  and  in  communion  with  the  General 
Assembly ;  first  affirming  and  then  denying  his  having  said  so. 
On  this  charge  he  was  acquitted,  and  the  persons  who  brought 
it  were  reproved.  He  was  also  charged  with  saying  "  the  saints 
appeared  in  heaven  in  their  own  righteousness,"  and  afterwards 
of  denying.  He  admitted  the  declaration,  and  disclaimed  the 
denial.  It  was  proved  that  he  explained  it  as  "  the  fruit  of 
Christ's  righteousness,"  &c.  This  part  of  the  charge  was  not 
sustained,  and  the  reporters  of  it  were  reproved. 

2d.  He  was  charged  with  preaching  false  doctrine.  No  manu- 
script or  printed  paper  of  his  preparation  was  produced.  The 
witnesses  stated  what  they  recollected  of  his  sermons  and  con- 
versation, that  they  thought  culpably  erroneous.  He  was  accused 
of  charging  the  church  of  Scotland  and  some  of  our  Calvinistic 
divines  of  holding  the  doctrine  "  that  there  were  infants  in  hell 
not  a  span  long  ;"  of  saying  *'  that  original  sin  is  not  conveyed 
by  natural  generation ;"  that  if  it  were,  the  procreation  of  children 
would  be  sinful,  a  damning  sin ;  that  he  justified  a  man  in  saying 
he  was  not  afraid  to  take  upon  himself  the  original  sin  of  the 
whole  human  family,  Adam  excepted  (the  person  explaining  that 
by  original  sin  he  meant  Adam's  particular  act  in  eating  the  for- 
bidden fruit) ;  of  saying  "  there  was  no  sin  but  in  self-love  ; 
that  Adam's  sin  was  his  only,  by  approbation  and  imitation  "  (but 
that  he  also  affirmed  that  the  corruption  of  our  nature,  and  the 
propensity  to  make  a  wrong  choice,  was  from  Adam) ;  of  saying 
that  "  we  were  not  liable  to  condemnation  till  we  became  moral 
agents,  or  capable  of  a  wrong  choice,  then  the  dire  consequences 
of  Adam's  sin  were  imputed,  but  not  his  personal  act ;"  of  saying 
"  that  answer  in  our  catechism  was  wrong,  which  says  i  no  mere 
man  can  keep  the  commands  of  God  perfect,"1  for  they  were  able, 
if  they  were  willing  ;  that  through  Adam's  sin  our  nature  was 
corrupted,  but  none  were  chargeable  till  they  acted  ;  and  that  the 
first  act  was  original  sin  in  our  posterity." 


296  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

On  this  charge  with  the  specifications,  the  commission  of  Synod 
"  view  it  as  involving  in  it  doctrines  already  referred  to  the  General 
Assembly,  and  therefore  unanimously  agree  to  refer  the  charge, 
with  the  testimony,  to  the  General  Assembly  for  consideration 
and  judgment." 

During  this  part  of  the  trial,  one  witness  made  a  statement, 
which,  although  it  bears  not  on  the  merits  of  the  case,  and  was 
incidentally  given  in,  is  nevertheless  interesting,  viz  :  "  Mr.  Balch 
said  he  had  no  new  doctrine,  though  Mr.  Doake  and  Mr.  James 
Balch  had  labored  to  establish  that  he  had.  In  his  late  tour  (to 
New  England)  he  had  gathered  no  new  doctrines,  only  explana- 
tions, for  he  considered  mankind  as  guilty  as  ever  he  did,  only 
the  old  way  was  a  lie,  and  the  new  one  was  true."  From  the 
frequent  reference  to  Dr.  Hopkins,  it  would  seem  that  he  intended 
to  hold  and  preach  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  that  celebrated  man. 
The  third  charge  was  "  for  marrying  Joseph  Posey  and  Jane 
Reeves  together,  knowing  that  he,  Joseph  Posey,  had  a  lawful 
wife  living  within  three  miles  of  him."  The  first  part  of  the 
charge,  the  marrying,  he  admitted  ;  the  latter  part,  involving  cri- 
minality, he  denied.  Though  he  admitted  he  knew  she  had  been 
his  lawful  wife.  The  judgment  of  the  commission  was,  that 
"  Posey  had  not  been  legally  freed  from  his  former  wife  "  at  the 
time  Mr.  Balch  performed  the  marriage  ceremony,  and  that  "  Rev. 
Hezekiah  Balch  had  conducted  in  a  precipitate  and  irregular  man- 
ner, in  marrying  Joseph  Posey  to  Jane  Reeves,  and  that  this  ac- 
tion, if  received  as  a  precedent,  would  introduce  great  and  mani- 
fold evils,  both  in  church  and  state." 

The  fourth  charge  was  for  creating  a  new  session  in  Mount 
Bethel,  contrary  to  the  constitution.  The  fact  of  creating  a  new 
session  was  admitted  ;  and  the  principal  circumstances  were  agreed 
upon  by  the  witnesses.  The  new  session  had  suspended  the  old, 
and  those  who  went  with  them ;  and  great  confusion  had  arisen  in 
the  congregations  and  the  Presbytery.  The  cause  of  division 
which  led  to  the  appointment  of  the  new  session,  was  the  novelty 
of  the  doctrines  Mr.  Balch  preached,  which,  notwithstanding  all 
his  explanations,  appeared  to  many  of  his  people,  and  part  of  the 
Presbytery,  to  be  erroneous  ;  they  have  been  stated  under  the  2d 
charge.  The  new  session  was  made  up  of  friends  to  Mr.  Balch, 
— the  old  session  greatly  opposed  him. 

The  judgment  of  the  commission  was,  "that  the  new  session 
was  unconstitutionally  created,  and  all  their  judicial  acts  null 
and  void."     Mount  Bethel  was  released  from  the  pastoral  care   of 


MINUTES    OF    THE    SYNOD.  297 

Mr.  Balch,  and  pronounced  a  vacancy.  The  petition  of  Abingdon 
Presbytery  for  division,  was  granted  :  and  the  Rev.  Charles  Cum- 
mins, Samuel  Doake,  Jacob  Lake  and  James  Balch,  were  set  off 
to  compose  Abingdon  Presbytery,  to  meet  at  Salem  on  the  14th 
instant,  Mr.  Lake  to  preach  and  preside ; — and  Rev.  Hezekiah 
Balch,  John  Cossan,  Samuel  Carrick,  Robert  Henderson  and 
Gideon  Blackburn,  to  compose  the  Presbytery  of  Union,  to  meet 
at  Hopewell  on  the  2d  Tuesday  of  February,  1798,  Mr.  Carrick 
to  preach  and  preside  ;  in  case  of  absence  of  either  person  ap- 
pointed to  preside,  the  oldest  member  present  to  supply  his  place. 
The  subject  of  promiscuous  communion  was  taken  up  by  the 
commissioners  on  an  overture ;  and  the  decision  was,  that  as  it 
was  not  necessary,  and  as  it  gave  offence  to  some  of  the  people  as 
implying  a  coalescence  with  other  denominations  in  doctrines  not 
held  by  him,  from  "  prudential  motives,"  a  minister  ought  to  ab- 
stain. No  decision  was  given  respecting  the  occasional  commu- 
nion of  private  members. 

session  XI. 

Bethel  Church,  South  Carolina,  Oct.  18th,  1798. 

The  session  was  opened  by  Rev.  S.  C.  Caldwell,  the  last 
moderator,  with  a  sermon  from  Philippians  ii.,  12th  and  13th,  and 
the  Rev.  Francis  Cummins  was  chosen  moderator.  The  Pres- 
bytery of  Concord  reported  new  members,  Wm.  C.  Davies,  from 
South  Carolina  Presbytery  ;  and  by  ordination,  George  Newton  and 
Samuel  Davies  :  the  Presbytery  of  Union  reported  Samuel  G. 
Ramsey  by  ordination  ;  the  Presbytery  of  Hopewell  reported  the 
death  of  John  Springer. 

Inquiries  were  made  about  the  edition  of  Doddridge's  Rise  and 
Progress  ;  no  satisfactory  information  was  obtained.  Rev.  Ed- 
ward Crawford,  who  was  suspended  in  1797,  as  being  member 
of  the  Independent  Presbytery,  appeared  ;  and  having  made  suita- 
ble concessions  and  received  an  admonition  from  the  chair,  was 
ceived  as  a  member  of  Synod  and  a  member  of  Abingdon  Pres- 
bytery. 

Charges  which  had  been  brought  against  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch, 
by  the  old  session  of  Mount  Bethel,  before  Union  Presbytery,  and 
by  them  referred  to  Synod,  were  read  :  The  1st  charge  accused 
Mr.  Balch  of  having  held  an  election  for  elders  in  Mount  Bethel 
Church,  soon  after  the  first  meeting  of  the  Presbytery  of  Union, 
while  the  congregation  was  vacant,  against  the  will  and  desire  of 


298  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

the  old  session :  and  refusing  the  privilege  of  voting  to  any  who 
had  not  signed  a  call  for  himself.  The  2d  charge  accused  him  of 
intruding  on  the  congregation  the  first  Sabbath  after  his  return 
from  Philadelphia,  and  preaching  without  leave  of  session,  while 
they  had  two  young  men  engaged  and  there,  on  that  day :  and 
also  ordaining  elders  against  the  express  order  of  the  existing  ses- 
sion ;  and  also  for  persisting  to  preach  in  the  congregation.  3d 
charge — "  We  charge  Mr.  Balch  for  deviating  from  the  truth,  by 
denying  in  the  Assembly,  that  he  ever  said  in  Presbytery,  August, 
1796,  that  he  meant  the  same  by  the  word  transfer  as  impute. 
Also  for  denying  in  the  Assembly  that  he  ever  held  that  there  was 
not  a  covenant  made  with  Adam  ;  for  proof  of  which,  see  the  As- 
sembly's judgment  on  his  creed.  And  that  he  did  hold  there  was 
not  a  covenant  made  with  Adam." 

The  4th  charge  accused  Mr.  Balch  of  falsehood  in  denying 
what  he  had  said  in  a  sermon  about  original  sin,  and  of  charging 
his  accusers  with  drunkenness,  &c. 

5th  Charge. — "  We  charge  Mr.  Balch  for  saying  since  his  re- 
turn from  the  General  Assembly,  that  he  was  fifty  thousand  times 
stronger  in  belief  of  that  definition  of  holiness  (alluding  to  the 
creed)  than  he  was  before  he  went  away.  For  those  expressions 
we  give  Josiah  Temple  and  Alexander  Galbraith  as  evidence  ;  and 
that  that  definition  of  holiness  was  pointed  out  as  erroneous  by 
the  General  Assembly,  we  refer  you  to  the  judgment  on  his 
creed." 

Charges  were  brought  against  Mr.  Balch  by  two  other  indivi- 
duals, of  minor  importance. 

Mr.  Balch  brought  charges  against  the  old  session,  for  using 
violence  towards  him,  by  driving  him  from  the  meeting-house  ;  and 
for  not  keeping  their  word,  &c. 

Synod  judged  on  the  first  and  second  charges,  that  the  election 
of  the  elders  after  the  rising  of  the  commission  (held  at  Mount 
Bethel)  was  irregular  ;  and  that  Mr.  Balch  is  highly  censurable 
for  ordaining  them  so  disorderly  and  schismatically  ;  and  that  he 
was  imprudent  in  preaching  in  the  house  to  but  a  part  of  the  con- 
gregation. Respecting  Mr.  Balch's  charges  against  the  elders, 
the  Synod  decided, — That  the  elders  "  had  blameably  violated  " 
their  promise  in  not  withdrawing  certain  civil  suits  ;  and  were 
highly  censurable  for  interrupting  Mr.  Balch  in  time  of  worship, 
and  driving  him  out  of  the  house  ;  and  that  one  of  the  elders  had 
improperly  used  the  name  of  God,  for  which  he  is  highly  censur- 
able. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  299 

As  the  other  matters  were  not  ready  for  trial,  Synod  postponed 
final  sentence  on  these  matters  until  the  Extraordinary  Synod,  ap- 
pointed to  be  held  at  Little  Britain,  on  the  second  Tuesday  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1799,  for  the  purpose  of  attending  to  all  the  charges  and  all 
matters  of  difficulty. 

EXTRAORDINARY  SESSION. 

Little  Britain,  Rutherford  Co.,  N.  C,  ISth  Feb.,  1799. 

Synod  was  opened  by  the  moderator,  Francis  Cummins,  with  a 
sermon  from  Titus  iii.,  10,  11.  Present  thirteen  ministers  and 
seven  elders. 

About  thirty  folio  pages  of  evidence  on  the  three  remaining 
charges  against  Mr.  Balch,  for  and  against  them,  had  been  taken 
by  a  committee,  and  were  read  in  Synod.  Mr.  Balch  was  heard 
in  his  defence ;  and  Mr.  Galbraith  was  heard  for  those  who  had 
accused  him  :  and  both  professed  they  had  nothing  more  to  say  in 
the  case. 

The  Synod  decided  on  the  3d  and  4th  charges  brought  by  the 
session,  that  they  were  not  sustained  by  the  evidence.  On  the  5th 
charge  Mr.  Balch  acknowledged  that  he  had  expressed  himself  as 
charged,  and  that  his  only  objection  was,  it  was  not  strong  enough; 
"  instead  of  fifty  thousand  times,  he  would  say  five  hundred  thou- 
sand times."  Whereupon  "  the  Synod,  after  mature  deliberation, 
judge,  that  Mr.  Balch  has  acted  with  duplicity  in  expressing  him- 
self as  laid  down  in  the  charge,  considering  the  judgment  of  the 
Assembly,  and  his  submission  to  that  judgment." 

The  two  other  charges  were  pronounced  unsustained. 

The  Synod  proceeded  to  pronounce  sentence  on  Mr.  Balch  : 
"  Do  hereby  suspend  him  from  the  exercise  of  his  office  as  a  mi- 
nister of  the  gospel,  and  refer  him  to  the  Presbytery  of  Union,  to 
which  he  belongs,  who  will  be  adequate  to  the  removal  of  the 
suspension,  when  reformation  on  the  part  of  Mr.  Balch  shall  open 
the  way."  They  also  pronounced  the  sentence  of  suspension 
from  the  office  of  elder  and  the  communion  of  the  church  upon 
four  of  the  elders  who  had  appeared  against  Mr.  Balch,  for  the 
mpropriety  and  irregularity  of  their  course  ;  also  the  sentence  of  a 
public  reprimand  on  two  others  who  appeared ;  and  that  of  a  pri- 
vate reprimand  on  two  others,  as  not  having  exhibited  a  proper 
spirit.  A  committee  was  appointed  to  repair  to  Mount  Bethel, 
and  communicate  the  sentence  and  administer  the  admonitions. 

On  the  sentence  being  read,  Mr.  Galbraith,  who  appeared  in  the 


300  SKETCHES  OP  NORTH  CAROLINA.1 

name  of  the  session,  expressed  his  submission  Mr.  Balch  asked 
till  the  next  day  for  consideration.  The  next  day  Mr.  Balch  asked 
a  re-hearing,  which  was  refused,  as,  in  the  judgment  of  Synod, 
there  did  not  appear  to  be  sufficient  cause. 

After  a  session  of  six  days,  the  record  of  which,  with  the  evi- 
dence, covers  about  forty-one  folio  pages,  the  session  closed  with 
the  following  minutes  : 

"  The  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch  read  the  following  paper,  which  he 
requested  to  be  entered  on  the  minutes,  viz  :  To  the  Rev.  Synod 
of  the  Carolinas  :  As  I  do  not  wish  to  do  anything  that  may  have 
the  least  appearance  of  obstinacy,  I  do  cheerfully  submit  to  your 
judgment ;  at  the  same  time  solemnly  declaring  that  I  am  not  con- 
scious of  anything,  in  the  matter  referred  to,  more  than  impru- 
dence, which  I  hope  I  shall  always  be  ready  to  acknowledge,  as 
far  as  I  can  without  injury  to  my  conscience  or  the  truth.  I  hum- 
bly request  that  this,  my  answer,  may  be  entered  on  your  minutes. 

"  I  am  yours, 
("  Signed,)  "  Hezekiah  Balch." 

"  The  parties  having  both  submitted  to  the  judgment  of  Synod, 
received  a  suitable  admonition  from  the  moderator."  "  At  the 
request  of  Mr.  Balch,  Mr.  Galbraith  and  he  shook  hands  in  the 
presence  of  Synod  in  testimony  of  their  personal  affection  to  and 
cordial  wishes  for  the  welfare  of  each  other,  and  hopes  of  a  per- 
manent friendship  hereafter."  And  the  Extraordinary  Session 
closed. 

SESSION    XII. 

Hopewell  Church,  October  3\st,  1799. 

Rev.  Francis  Cummins  opened  the  sessions  with  a  sermon  from 
Luke  xiii.,  22 ;  and  James  McRee  was  chosen  moderator. 

Four  new  names  appear  on  the  list  of  Orange  Presbytery  as 
ordained  either  in  the  year  '97  or  '98  ;  the  list  of  '97  was  lost  with 
records  ;  and  in  '98  the  list  is  not  given.  The  four  were  William 
T.  Thomson,  William  Paisley,  John  Gillespie,  Samuel  McAdo, 
and  Robert  Tate.  The  Presbytery  reported  also  Mr.  John  An- 
derson, from  another  Presbytery. 

Several  cases  came  before  Synod,  by  overture  or  request,  con- 
cerning marriages  within  the  forbidden  degree  of  relationship  :  one 
respecting  a  man  marrying  his  former  wife's  half-brother's  widow  ; 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  301 

— dismissed,  as  not  within  the  prohibited  degrees  :  one  of  a  man 
who  had  married  his  deceased  wife's  sister's  daughter, — laid  over 
till  the  matter  could  come  before  the  Assembly,  for  a  general  rule 
on  such  subjects  :  and  one  of  a  man  who  had  married  his  former 
wife's  sister,  and  had  with  her  been  under  suspension  for  some 
time, — laid  over. 

The  case  of  Mr.  Bowman,  who  had  been  suspended  by  the 
Abingdon  Presbytery,  for  unsound  doctrine,  was  taken  up  ;  and, 
after  hearing  Mr.  Bowman's  explanations,  the  Synod  reversed  the 
sentence,  and  addressed  an  affectionate  letter  to  the  Presbytery. 
The  subject  of  dispute  was  the  extent  and  manner  of  the  offer  of 
the  Gospel — Mr.  Bowman  using  the  phrases  of  Dr.  Hopkins,  and 
his  views  of  Election,  which  were  disagreeable  to  his  brethren, 
and,  though  not  altogether  agreeable,  yet  not  condemned  by 
Synod. 

This  year  four  of  the  Presbyteries  presented  a  report  of  their 
preachers,  with  their  places  of  preacing,  which  may  interest  the 
reader. 

Presbytery  of  Orange — 14  members. 

Henry  Pattillo,  Grassy  Creek  and  Nutbush. 

David  Caldwell,  Buffalo  and  Alamance. 

Colin  Lindsay,  without  charge. 

William  Moore,  Upper  and  Lower  Hico. 

William  Hodge,  without  charge. 

Samuel  Stanford,  Black  River,  and  Brown  Marsh. 

Angus  McDiarmid,  Barbacue,  Bluff,  McCoy's. 

James  H.  Bowman,  Eno,  and  Little  River. 

William  F.  Thompson,  New  Hope. 

John  Gillespie,  Centre,  Laurel  Hill,  and  Raft  Swamp. 

William  D.  Paisley,  Union,  and  Lower  Buffalo. 

Samuel  McAdo,  Speedwell  and  Haw  River. 

John  Anderson,  without  charge. 

Robert  Tate,  South  Washington  and  Rockfish. 
Licentiates — John  Rankin,  Robert  Foster,  Andrew  Caldwell, 
and  Edward  Pharr.  Candidates — Daniel  Brown,  Ezekiel  B. 
Currie,  John  Matthews,  Duncan  Brown,  Murdock  McKillan,  Mal- 
colm McNair,  Hugh  Shaw,  and  Murdock  Murphy.  They  have 
ordained  William  McGee  ; — have  licensed  Barton  Stone, — and 
dismissed  them  both  to  connect  themselves  with  the  Presbytery  of 
Transylvania. 


302  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Presbytery  of  South  Carolina — 18  ministers. 

Joseph  Alexander,  Bullock's  Creek. 

John  Simpson,  Good  Hope,  and  Roberts. 

James  Templeton,  Nazareth. 

Francis  Cummins,  Rocky  River. 

Robert  McCullock,  Catholic  and  Purity. 

James  W.  Stephenson,  Indianstown  and  Williamsburgh. 

John  Brown,  Waxhaws. 

Robert  Wilson,  Long  Cane. 

William  Williamson,  Fairforest. 

Robert  B.  Walker,  Bethesda. 

David  E.  Dunlap,  Columbia. 

Samuel  W.  Yongue,  Lebanon  and  Mount  Olivet. 

John  Foster,  Salem. 

James  Gilleland,  Bradoway. 

John  B.  Kennedy,  Duncan's  Creek  and  Little  River. 

George  E.  Macwhorter,  Bethel  and  Beersheba. 

Andrew  Brown,  Bethlehem  and  Cane  Creek. 

John  B.  Davies,  Fishing  Creek  and  Richardson. 
They  have  three  licentiates, — George  Reid,  William  G.  Ros- 
borough,  and  John  Couser :  and  two  candidates, — High  Dickson 
and  Thomas  Neely. 

Presbytery  of  Concord — 15  ministers. 
Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  D.D.,  Thyatira. 
James  Hall,  Bethany. 
James  McRee,  Centre. 
David  Barr,  Philadelphia. 
Wm.  C.  Davies,  Olney. 

Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  Sugaw  Creek  and  Hopewell. 
James  Wallis,  Providence. 
Joseph  D.  Kilpatrick,  Third  Creek  and  Unity. 
Lewis  F.  Wilson,  Concord  and  Fourth  Creek. 
Humphrey  Hunter,  Goshen  and  Unity. 
John  M.  Wilson,  Quaker  Meadow  and  Morgantown. 
John  Carrigan,  Ramah,  and  Bethpage. 
John  Andrews,  Little  Britain. 
Samuel  Davies,  Mamre. 

George  Newton,  Swannanoe  and  Rim's  Creek. 
They  have  one  candidate,  Thomas  Hall. 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  303 

Union  Presbytery — 4  members. 

Samuel  Carrick,  the  Fork  and  Knoxville. 

Robert  Henderson,  Westminster  and  Hopewell. 

Gideon  Blackburn,  Eusebia  and  New  Providence. 

Samuel  G.  Ramsey,  Ebenezer  and  Pleasant  Forest. 
It  would  have  been  gratifying,  if  the  other  Presbyteries  had  made 
a  return,  that  we  might  know  the  places  in  which  the  ministers  of 
the  Synod  labored  at  the  close  of  the  last  century  ;  with  all  the 
candidates,  vacancies,  and  licentiates  ;  a  reference  and  compari- 
son would  be  advantageous  to  the  present  generation. 

On  petition,  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  was  divided,  and 
Broad  River  made  the  dividing  line.  The  members  on  the  north- 
east side  of  the  river,  viz.,  Joseph  Alexander,  Robert  McCullock, 
James  W.  Stephenson,  John  Brown,  Robert  B.  Walker,  David  E. 
Dunlap,  Samuel  W.  Yongue;  John  Foster,  George  E.  Macwhorter, 
and  John  B.  Davies,  to  constitute  the  first  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina,  to  meet  at  Bullock's  Creek,  on  the  first  Friday  of  Feb- 
ruary, 1800,  and  Rev.  Joseph  Alexander  to  preside,  or  the  senior 
member  in  his  absence.  And  the  members  on  the  south-west 
side,  viz.,  Joseph  Simpson,  James  Templeton,  Francis  Cummins, 
Robert  Wilson,  Wm.  Williamson,  James  Gilleland,  John  B. 
Kennedy,  and  Andrew  Brown,  to  be  known  as  the  Second  Pres- 
bytery of  South  Carolina,  to  hold  its  first  meeting  at  Fair  Forest, 
on  the  first  Friday  of  February,  1800.  The  Rev.  John  Simpson 
to  preside,  or  in  his  absence  the  senior  member.  The  first  named 
Presbytery  to  keep  the  records  of  the  past,  furnishing  to  the 
second  such  extracts  as  they  may  need. 

Synod  resolved  to  hold  its  annual  meetings,  hereafter,  in  Octo- 
ber, commencing  the  first  Thursday. 

SESSION    XIII. 

Sugaw  Creek,  Oct.  2d,  1800. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  James  McRee,  with  a  sermon  from 
1st  Tim.  iv.,  16.  The  Rev.  John  Brown  was  chosen  moderator. 
The  Rev.  James  S.  Adams  and  Thomas  Price,  of  the  Indepen- 
dent church,  being  present,  were  invited  to  seats  as  corresponding 
members. 

It  appearing,  that  the  letter,  on  the  subject  of  the  difficulties 
attending  marriages  in  affinity,  which  was  prepared  for  the  last 
Assembly,  failed  to  reach  the  Assembly  ;  a  committee  was  appoint- 
ed to  draft  another  this  meeting. 


304  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

From  the  report  of  Orange  Presbytery,  it  appeared,  that  the 
Presbytery  had  conditionally  suspended  Colin  Lindsey,  and  had 
dismissed  Win.  Hodge,  Samuel  McAdo,  and  Mr.  John  Rankin,  to 
go  to  the  West.  An  overture  for  the  purpose  of  commencing  a 
correspondence  with  other  religious  denominations  in  the  State, 
about  petitioning  the  legislature  for  the  emancipation  of  the  slaves, 
on  the  principle  that  all  children  of  slaves  born  after  a  fixed  time, 
shall  be  free,  which  was  brought  in  last  meeting  of  Synod  was 
taken  up  and  disposed  of  by  the  following  report,  which  was  adopted : 
"  Your  committee  report,  that  though  it  is  our  ardent  wish  that  the 
object  contemplated  in  the  overture  should  be  obtained  ;  yet,  as  it 
appears  to  us  that  matters  are  not  yet  matured  for  carrying  it  for- 
ward, especially  in  the  southern  parts  of  our  States,  your  com- 
mittee are  of  opinion  that  the  overture  should  now  be  laid  aside  ; 
and  that  it  be  enjoined  upon  every  member  of  this  Synod  to  use 
his  influence  to  carry  into  effect  the  directions  and  recommenda- 
tions of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  and  those  ad- 
ditionally made  by  the  General  Assembly,  for  the  instruction  of 
those  who  are  in  a  state  of  slavery,  to  prepare  them  the  better  for 
a  state  of  freedom,  wlren  such  shall  be  contemplated  by  the  legis- 
latures of  our  southern  States." 

"  The  Synod  considering  the  importance  and  necessity  of  carry- 
ing on  the  missionary  business, — that  the  Rev.  James  Hall  has 
been  appointed  by  the  General  Assembly  to  the  Natchez,  and 
ought,  if  possible,  to  have  company, — determined  to  send  with 
him  two  members,  viz.,  the  Rev.  Messrs.  James  H.  Bowman  and 
William  Montgomery,  who  are  directed  to  spend  eight  months,  if 
convenient  and  they  find  it  expedient,  in  that  country  and  places 
adjacent ;  commencing  their  mission  about  the  15th  instant :  and 
for  the  support  of  these  missionaries  the  Synod  itself  to  give  them 
thirty-three  and  one-third  dollars  per  month  from  the  time  they 
engage  in  the  work ;  they  rendering  a  regular  account  of  all 
moneys  received  by  them  during  their  mission."  ( The  reason  for 
passing  the  subject  of  missions  for  a  few  years  is  nowhere  given.) 

Overture  from  the  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina. — "  In 
case  of  fornication,  will  an  acknowledgment  before  the  church 
session,  and  reported  to  the  congregation,  be  sufficient  ?"  Answered 
in  the  negative. 

A  pastoral  letter  on  the  subject  of  domestic  missions  was  pre- 
pared and  sent  to  the  Presbyteries  to  be  laid  before  the  congrega- 
tions. 

Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch  brought  a  complaint  against  the  Presby- 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  305 

tery  of  Abingdon  for  having  ordained  Mr.  Witherspoon  in  Mount 
Bethel  church  before  they  had  settled  their  money  accounts  with 
himself ;  and  also  because  Mr.  W.  held  the  following  sentiments, 
as  expressed  in  a  public  sermon  :  "  1st.  That  Jesus  Christ  is  not 
the  object  of  faith.  2d.  That  the  justification  of  a  sinner  through 
the  atonement  of  Christ  is  an  act  of  justice.  3d.  That  the  justifi- 
cation of  a  sinner  through  the  righteousness  of  Christ,  is  not  as 
wholly  an  act  of  God's  free  grace,  as  if  there  had  been  no  atone- 
ment made.  4th.  That  there  was  no  difference  between  saving 
faith  and  historical  faith,  only  in  degree  of  evidence." 

Trial  of  the  complaint  was  ordered  for  next  meeting  of  Synod. 

On  petition  from  Hezekiah  Balch  and  others,  a  new  Presbytery 
was  set  off,  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Greenville,  to  consist 
of  Rev.  Messrs.  George  Newton,  Samuel  Davis,  Hezekiah  Balch, 
and  John  Cossan,  to  meet  at  Swannanoe  church,  on  the  third 
Tuesday  of  November  next,  and  Mr.  Newton  to  preside  and 
preach ;  and  that  Messrs.  Jolm  Bowman  and  Stephen  Bovelle, 
with  their  congregations,  be  attached  either  to  the  Abingdon  or 
Greenville  Presbytery,  as  they  may  choose. 

SESSION    XIV. 

Fishing  Creek,  October  1st,  1801. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  John  Brown,  with  a  sermon  from 
Rom.  xi.,  13  ;  and  William  Montgomery  was  chosen  moderator. 

The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported  they  had  removed  the  con- 
ditional suspension  of  Colin  Lindsey,  dismissed  the  Rev.  John 
Anderson  to  the  first  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  :  that  they  had 
deposed  Robert  M'Culloch,  and  ordained  William  Rosborough ; 
the  Presbytery  of  Concord,  that  they  had  suspended  Rev.  David 
Barr ;  the  Presbytery  of  Greenville,  that  they  had  ordained  John 
Bowman  and  dismissed  him,  and  had  ordained  Stephen  Bovelle. 

"  The  reports  of  our  missionaries  to  the  Natchez  were  called  for 
and  read,  together  with  some  other  papers  relating  to  that  business. 
The  Synod  were  happy  to  find,  that  by  the  blessing  of  Divine 
Providence,  the  good  consequences  of  that  mission  appear  to  have 
far  exceeded  their  most  sanguine  expectations.  The  missionaries 
received  the  cordial  thanks  of  the  house  for  their  prudence,  zeal,  and 
diligence,  in  the  execution  of  the  important  duties  assigned  them." 

The  case  of  the  man  who  had  married  his  wife's  sister's  daugh- 
ter, and  was  put  under  discipline  by  the  Synod  at  its  session  in 
1789,  was  taken  up,   and  after  much  consideration  the   Synod 

20 


306  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

adopted  the  following  :  "  This  Synod  so  far  rescind  their  former 
judgment,  as  to  leave  it  to  the  church  session  of  the  congregation 
to  which  Mr.  Latham  belongs,  to  do  as  they  think  prudence  and 
duty  may  direct  them  ;  keeping  carefully  in  view  the  glory  of  God, 
and  the  peace  and  happiness  of  the  church  in  those  parts." 

The  complaint  of  Mr.  Balch  against  the  Presbytery  of  Abingdon 
was  taken  up.  On  the  first  complaint  (see  last  session)  the  Synod 
judged  that  the  Presbytery  ought,  at  the  time  Mr.  Balch  presented 
his  claim  against  the  people,  or  at  some  other  convenient  season, 
to  have  endeavored  to.  bring  the  matter  to  a  proper  adjustment ; 
and  also  that  it  was  neglect,  if  not  unfriendly,  in  Mr.  Balch,  not  to 
have  presented  his  claims  earlier,  for  a  fair  adjustment. 

On  the  complaint  and  charges  against  Mr.  Witherspoon  (see 
last  session),  the  action  was  as  follows  :  Having  heard  Mr.  With- 
erspoon explain  the  first  specification  that,  he  meant  "  the  immedi- 
ate object  of  faith ;  the  Scriptures,  or  the  report  of  the  Apostles 
about  Christ  was  the  immediate  object,  the  Synod  do  judge — that 
the  young  man's  mode  of  expression  was  unhappy  and  unguarded  ; 
yet  it  appears  to  this  Synod,  that  the  Presbytery  may  probably 
have  had  satisfactory  testimony  of  his  orthodoxy  on  that  particu- 
lar." On  the  second  specification,  Mr.  Witherspoon  said,  he  used 
the  expression,  "  and  well  remembers  that  he  added,  it  was  also  an 
act  of  mercy ;  that  it  was  mercy  as  it  respected  the  sinner,  but 
justice  as  it  respected  God,  who  passed  the  act ;  that  the  atone- 
ment answered  the  demands  of  justice,  and  laid  the  ground  for  the 
act  to  pass  in  justice."  Synod  judged — "  Mr.  Witherspoon's 
phrase,  that  justification,  as  it  respects  the  atonement,  is  an  act  of 
justice,  may  be  explained  in  a  good  sense."  On  the  third  specifi- 
cation,-.Mr.  Witherspoon  said,  he  had  read  in  a  work  of  Mr.  Ed- 
wards, borrowed  of  Mr.  B. — "  that  the  justification  of  a  sinner  is 
as  wholly  an  act  of  God's  free  grace  as  if  there  had  been  no  atone- 
ment," and  that  he  had  expressed  a  doubt  on  the  matter,  that  the 
atonement  might  thereby  be  superseded.  The  Synod  passed  by 
what  might  have  been  said  in  private  by  Mr.  Witherspoon,  and 
judged,  "  inasmuch  as  Mr.  Witherspoon  appears  to  have  held,  and 
still  to  hold,  that  the  justification  of  a  sinner  is  not  wholly  an  act 
of  grace,  or  not  as  wholly  as  if  there  had  been  no  atonement,  the 
Presbytery  ought  not  to  have  proceeded  to  ordain  Mr.  Wither- 
spoon, without  endeavoring  to  bring  him  to  a  right  view  of  the  doc- 
trine." On  the  fourth  specification,  after  hearing  Mr.  W.'s  expla- 
nation, the  Synod  judged,  "  that  Mr.  Witherspoon's  proposition  is 
.not  true ;  yet  he  has  explained  himself  consistently  with  truth ; 
.and  that  the  Presbytery  ought  to  have  endeavored  to  bring  him  to 


MINUTES  OF  THE  SYNOD.  307 

a  mode  of  expression  more  consistent  with  his  own  ideas,  as  his 
proposition  and  explanation  appear  to  be  very  different." 

"  Upon  the  whole,  this  Synod,  sorry  to  find  that  the  brethren 
over  the  mountains  still  retain  so  much  of  the  spirit  of  warm  oppo- 
sition, do  solemnly  recommend  to  Mr.  Balch,  and  those  who 
are  opposed  to  him,  to  pray  for  and  endeavor  to  exercise  more  of 
that  spirit  of  meekness  and  brotherly  kindness  which  the  gospel  so 
frequently  recommends  to  us,  and  endeavor  to  cultivate  friendship 
with  each  other.  And  further,  the  Synod  recommend  to  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Abingdon  a  more  strict  regard  to  our  standards  of  doc- 
trine and  discipline,  especially  in  introducing  young  men  to  the 
ministry  of  the  gospel."     "  The  parties  acceded  to  the  judgment." 

The  Synod  passed  orders,  for  the  purpose  of  bringing  the  sub- 
ject of  missions  before  all  the  congregations  ;  and  for  obtaining 
collections  from  them  all  for  the  support  of  missionaries. 

A  petition  from  the  congregations  of  Greenspring  and  Sinking 
Spring,  with  a  remonstrance  against  the  proceedings  of  Abingdon 
Presbytery,  in  ordaining  Mr.  Bovelle  pastor  of  Sinking  Spring,  in 
the  peculiar  case  of  the  congregation,  particularly  that  there  was  so 
strong  an  opposition  to  him.  After  much  time  spent  in  hearing 
papers  produced  by  the  Presbytery  and  Mr.  Bradley,  the  represent- 
ative of  the  congregation,  the  Synod  judged  that  the  Presbytery 
"acted  incautiously"  in  ordaining  Mr.  Bovelle  in  the  circum- 
stances ;  and  after  appointing  a  committee  to  take  the  sense  of  the 
congregation  on  the  continuance  or  discontinuance  of  the  connex- 
ion and  to  lay  the  result  before  the  Presbytery,  who  are  to  act 
accordingly,  they  say — "  And  further,  this  Synod  do  seriously  and 
solemnly,  and  with  all  the  authority  which  they  possess  as  a  judi- 
cature of  the  church  of  Christ,  recommend  to  the  ministers  and 
people  beyond  the  mountains,  and  especially  to  the  people  of  Sink- 
ing Spring  and  Greenspring  congregations,  to  seek  peace  and  pur- 
sue it.  0  brethren,  live  peaceably  among  yourselves  !  Let 
brotherly  love  continue.  See  that  ye  fall  not  out  by  the  way." 
The  Presbytery  of  Greenville  was  directed  to  hold  a  meeting  on 
the  second  Tuesday  of  February,  to  receive  the  report  of  the  com- 
mittee and  to  determine  the  case. 

The  Rev.  William  Montgomery,  of  Presbytery  of  Hopewell, 
and  Mr.  John  Matthews,  a  licentiate  of  Orange  Presbytery,  were 
appointed  missionaries  to  the  Mississippi  Territory,  from  the  15th 
of  November,  to  act  as  long  as  they  shall  judge  convenient. 
Thomas  Hall,  a  licentiate  of  Concord  Presbytery,  was  appointed 
to  itinerate  through  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia,  for  the  space  of 
eight  months. 


308  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

EMIGRATION    TO    TENNESSEE. 

Tennessee  is  the  daughter  of  North  Carolina,  having  been  in 
the  chartered  bounds  of  the  colony,  and  also  reckoned  a  part  of  the 
independent  confederated  State,  until  the  year  1791,  when  she  was 
reckoned  one  of  the  territories  of  the  United  States ;  and  having 
received  many  of  its  earliest  settlements  and  strongest  reinforce- 
ments from  the  old  North  State,  and  from  the  original  stock  in  Ire- 
land and  their  descendants  in  the  Middle  States.  The  beautiful 
fields  along  the  Holston  and  Clinch,  and  the  charming  valleys,  al- 
lured the  early  emigrants  by  the  same  inducements  as  charmed  and 
captivated  the  wanderers  from  Ireland  and  Pennsylvania,  to  fix  their 
abodes  between  the  Yadkin  and  the  Catawba. 

The  phrases — "western  counties" — "mountains" — "mountain 
men  " — "  Washington  County,"  as  used  during  the  invasion  of 
the  Carolinas,  by  the  King's  forces,  had  reference  to  sections  of 
country  now  in,  or  bordering  upon  the  State  of  Tennessee.  Fergu- 
son was  in  pursuit  of  the  soldiers  of  these  regions,  when  he  visited 
Rutherford  county,  and  sent  his  insulting  message ;  and  on  the 
Wataga,  the  forces  began  to  assemble  that  gave  him  the  fatal  an- 
swer at  King's  Mountain.  " 

The  troubles  and  trials  of  the  first  settlement  wTe  can  scarcely 
glance  at,  nor  in  the  present  connection  is  it  necessary,  they  being 
in  kind  and  circumstances  altogether  similar  to  those  of  the  pioneers 
of  the  western  part  of  the  mother  State,  with  this  only  exception, 
they  were  farther  removed  from  market,  and  from  the  influence  of 
royal  authority  either  in  church  or  state.  The  wide  ranges  for  cat- 
tle and  for  game,  were  the  first  inducements  to  settle  on  the  Hols- 
ton ;  and  the  time  of  the  first  cabin  and  the  name  of  the  pioneer 
will  probably  never  be  known.  Next  to  this  influence,  was  the 
policy  of  giving  bounty  for  military  service,  in  wild  lands ;  and 
Carolina  gave  a  value  to  the  forests  of  her  western  wilds  by  re- 
warding the  labors  and  exposure  of  her  sons,  with  titles  to  lands, 
that  might  become  a  home  to  them  or  their  descendants.  So  rapid 
was  the  influx  of  enterprising  men,  particularly  about  the  close  of 
the    Revolutionary  war,  that   an   effort  was   made  in   the    years 


EMIGRATION     TO    TENNESSEE.  309 

1784-5,  to  form  a  State  by  the  name  of  Franklin.  This  movement 
was  premature  rather  than  uncalled  for;  and  in  1791,  a  territory 
was  set  off,  and  ultimately  a  state  was  organized  by  the  name  of 
Tennessee,  the  Indian  appellation  of  the  principal  river.  Meck- 
lenburg, Rowan,  Orange  and  Granville  Counties,  North  Carolina, 
sent  forth  crowds  of  emigrants,  and  numerous  ministers  in  their  train. 
The  family  of  the  Polks,  so  numerous  and  so  noted  in  the  time  of 
the  Revolution,  all  but  one  branch,  emigrated,  and  cast  their  lot  in 
with  the  bold  spirits  that  sought  a  home  in  the  great  valley  of  the 
Mississippi.     The  old  Carolina  names  are  nmnerous  in  Tennessee. 

To  the  great  crowds  from  Carolina  were  joined  many  families  of 
the  Scotch-Irish  race  from  Virginia^  and  from  Pennsylvania  and 
New  Jersey.  These  collected  families  of  the  same  race,  but  differ- 
ent parts  of  the  United  States,  gave  a  tone  to  the  rising  population 
of  the  State,  which  all  the  influx  of  other  races  from  other  regions 
has  only  modified.  The  Scotch-Irish  and  their  descendants  may  not 
now  be  a  majority  in  the  State  ;  they  may  perhaps  be  a  minority ; 
but  the  character  impressed  by  their  predecessors  will  remain  for 
ages,  perhaps  for  ever — enterprise,  independence,  and  a  desire  for 
improvement.  The  church,  the  school-house,  and  the  college,  grew 
up  with  the  log  cabins ;  and  the  principles  of  religion  were  pro- 
claimed, and  the  classics  taught  where  glass  windows  were  unknown, 
and  books  were  carried  in  bags  upon  pack-horses. 

The  first  minister  of  religion,  that  is  known  to  have  preached  in 
Tennessee,  was  a  Presbyterian  by  the  name  of  Cummins,  from  Vir- 
ginia, who  accompanied  the  expedition  from  Carolina  against  the 
Cherokees  in  1776.  As  he  passed  through  the  Holston  settlements, 
he  preached  in  the  forts  and  stations,  those  places  of  defence  and  of 
instruction,  and,  for  a  time,  of  public  worship.  Among  the  Scotch- 
Irish  that  settled  West  Pennsylvania,  Carolina,  Virginia,  and  enter- 
ed the  wilderness  of  Tennessee,  and  were  gathered  into  forts  and 
stations,  so  often  made  the  opportunities  of  dissipation,  it  was  no 
uncommon  thing  for  those  gatherings  to  be  improved  for  instruct- 
ing children,  and  for  seasons  of  religious  worship.  Mr.  Cummins 
did  not  remain  long  in  Tennessee,  neither  did  he  organize  any 
churches  at  that  time. 

The  first  minister  that  took  his  abode  in  Tennessee,  was  the  Rev. 
Samuel  Doak ;  and  as  he  is  identified  with  the  history  and  progress 
of  sound  learning  and  religion  in  North  Carolina,  west  of  the  Blue 
Ridge,  a  few  particulars  concerning  his  early  training  and  the  la- 
bors of  his  maturer  years  cannot  be  improper.  His  parents,  Sam- 
uel Doak  and  Jane  Mitchell,  emigrated  very  young  from  the  North 


310  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

of  Ireland,  and  took  their  abode  in  Chester  county,  Pennsylvania. 
At  the  time  of  their  marriage,  they  were  both  members  of  the 
church  ;  and  soon  after  that  event  they  emigrated  to  Virginia,  and 
settled  in  Augusta  county,  in  the  bounds  of  New  Providence  con- 
gregation. They  were  both  of  that  party  called  the  Old  Side  in  dis- 
tinction from  that  called  the  New  Side,  which  two  then  divided  the 
Presbyterian  church.  Their  son,  Samuel,  was  born  August,  1749. 
He  remained  with  his  parents,  and  worked  on  the  farm  till  he  was 
sixteen  years  old.  At  that  time  he  was  admitted  member  of  the 
church  in  full  communion  ;  and  soon  after  commenced  a  course  of 
classical  study  with  Mr.  Robert  Alexander,  who  resided  about  two 
miles  from  his  father's  house.  This  grammar-school  was  soon  after 
removed  two  or  three  miles  further,  to  about  the  place  where  the 
Seceder  meeting-house,  called  Old  Providence,  now  stands.  The 
school  was  taught  by  a  Mr.  Edmondson,  who  afterwards  studied 
medicine.  About  this  time  the  school  came  more  immediately 
under  the  charge  of  the  pastor,  the  Rev.  John  Brown,  who  having 
served  the  church  of  New  Providence  some  forty-four  years,  re- 
moved to  Kentucky,  and  lies  buried  near  Pisgah  church.  By  Mr. 
Brown  the  school  was  removed  to  Pleasant  Hill,  within  about  a 
mile  of  his  dwelling,  and  about  the  same  distance  north  of  the  vil- 
lage of  Fairfield.  While  here,  Mr.  Ebenezer  Smith,  the  brother  of 
John  B.  and  Samuel  Stanhope  Smith,  was  employed  as  teacher. 
A  Mr.  Archibald  succeeded  Mr.  Smith,  and  William  Graham  suc- 
ceeded Mr.  Archibald.  At  this  time  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover 
adopted  the  school.  From  near  Fairfield  it  was  removed  to  Timber 
Ridge ;  and  from  thence  to  near  Lexington  ;  and  is  now  Washing- 
ton College,  in  Lexington,  Virginia. 

In  Oct.,  1773,  Samuel  Doak  entered  Princeton  College  and  re- 
mained two  years.  Returning  to  Virginia  he  was  married  to  Esther 
Montgomery,  sister  of  the  Rev.  John  Montgomery,  whose  family 
belonged  to  New  Providence;  and  shortly  after  became  tutor  in 
Hampden  Sydney  College  in  Prince  Edward  county.  Here,  for 
about  two  years,  he  pursued  the  study  of  divinity  under  the  direc- 
tion of  the  Rev.  John  B.  Smith,  the  President  of  the  College. 
Being  licensed  by  the  Hanover  Presbytery,  after  preaching  in  Vir- 
ginia for  a  short  time,  he  removed  to  the  Holston  settlement,  in 
what  is  now  Sullivan  county,  Tennessee.  Not  finding  this  a  suita- 
ble field  for  the  designs  of  education  he  had  in  view,  he  removed  in 
the  course  of  a  year  or  two  to  the  settlement  on  Little  Limestone, 
in  Washington  county,  purchased  a  farm,  and  on  his  own  land  built 
a  small  church,  and  log  college,  and  founded  Salem  congregation. 


EMIGRATION  TO  TENNESSEE.  311 

His  institution  was  incorporated  by  the  Legislature  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  1788,  under  the  name  of  "  Martin  Academy ;"  and  is  the 
first  literary  institution  that  was  established  in  the  great  valley  ot 
the  Mississippi.  In  1795  it  was  changed  into  a  college,  and  receiv- 
ed the  name  of  "  Washington."  From  the  incorporation  of  Martin 
Academy  till  1818,  Mr.  Doak  continued  the  President  of  the  Insti- 
tution ;  and  his  elders  of  Salem  congregation  formed  a  part  of  the 
Board  of  Trustees.  He  procured  for  his  institution  a  small  library 
in  Philadelphia,  caused  it  to  be  transported  in  sacks  on  pack-horses, 
across  the  mountains,  and  thus  formed  the  nucleus  of  the  library  at 
Washington  College.  The  brick  buildings  overlook  the  site  of  the 
log  college ;  but  long  must  it  be  before  the  enlarged  institution  can 
equally  overshadow  the  usefulness  of  the  log  academy  and  college 
that  for  a  time  supplied  the  opportunities  for  education  for  ministers, 
lawyers  and  doctors,  in  the  early  days  of  Tennessee,  and  still  is 
sending  out  its  stream. 

Having  organized  a  number  of  churches  in  the  county  in  which 
he  lived,  also  Bethel  and  Timber  Ridge  in  Greene  county,  about 
the  year  1818  he  resigned  the  Presidency  of  Washington  College 
in  favor  of  his  son,  Rev.  John  M.  Doak,  M.D.,  and  removed  to 
Bethel.  Here  he  opened  an  academy  to  prepare  youth  for  college, 
and  named  it  Tusculum ;  and  passed  the  remainder  of  his  days  in 
usefulness  and  honor.  Under  his  son,  Samuel  W.  Doak,  the  acade- 
my has  grown  into  a  flourishing  college.  Says  a  gentleman  who 
knew  him  well — "  His  praise  is  in  all  our  churches.  During  the 
Revolutionary  war  he  was  a  warm,  decided  and  uniform  friend  to 
civil  and  religious  liberty,  took  part  in  the  defence  of  his  country, 
was  a  member  of  the  convention  that  in  1784-5  gave  rise  to  the 
insurrectionary  state  of  Franklin ;  was  upon  the  committee  that  re- 
ported an  article  of  its  constitution,  making  provision  for  the  support 
of  learning ;  and  to  the  close  of  life  was  still  its  devoted  servant, 
advocate,  and  patron.  A  rigid  opposer  of  innovation  in  religious 
tenets ;  very  old  school  in  all  his  notions  and  actions ;  uncompro- 
mising in  his  love  of  the  truth,  and  his  hostility  to  error  or  heresy ; 
a  John  Knox  in  his  character,  fearless,  firm,  nearly  dogmatical 
and  intolerant ;  but  no  one  has  been  more  useful  to  church  or  state, 
except  it  be  Hall  or  Caldwell  in  N.  C,  or  Waddell  in  South  Caro- 
lina and  Georgia.  A  volume  would  not  exhaust  the  incidents  of 
his  life." 

About  the  same  time  that  M.  Doak  settled  in  Tennessee,  Rev. 
Samuel  Houston,  reared  in  the  same  congregation,  and  at  the  same 
school,  took  his  residence  in  Washington  county.     After  a  few 


312  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

years  he  returned  to  Virginia,  and  lived  to  a  good  old  age  in  Rock- 
bridge county.  Having  been  a  soldier  in  the  battle  at  Guilford 
Court-house,  and  ranking  among  the  bravest  of  the  brave,  there 
can  be  no  doubt  of  his  love  of  American  liberty.  While  living  in 
Tennessee  he  took  an  active  part  in  public  matters,  and  was  a  con- 
spicuous member  of  the  Franklin  convention.  A  brother  and  other 
connexions  settled  near  Houston's  station  in  Blount  county ;  and  his 
co-emigrants  formed  Providence  church  at  Maryville.  The  name 
of  Houston  is  familiar  in  Texas. 

The  Rev.  Hezekiah  Balch  and  Rev.  Samuel  Carrick  came  to  Ten- 
nessee about  the  same  time ;  both  were  members  of  Hanover  Pres- 
bytery. Mr.  Balch  from  Pennsylvania,  Donegal  Presbytery,  formed 
one  of  the  original  members  of  Orange,  and  Mr.  Carrick  had  been 
ordained  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  in  whose  bounds  he  labored  for  a 
time.  These  gentlemen  met  undesignedly  in  1789,  in  the  settle- 
ment where  Lebanon  church  now  is.  Mr.  Carrick  had  sent  an  ap- 
pointment to  preach,  and  on  a  short  notice  a  great  crowd  assembled 
to  hear  the  strange  minister.  Mr.  Balch  came  that  day.  The  place 
chosen  for  preaching  was  a  large  Indian  mound  at  the  junction  of 
Holston  and  French  Broad.  Mr.  Carrick  courteously  yielded  the 
precedency  to  Mr.  Balch  as  being  the  older  man.  After  listening 
to  the  sermon,  he  observed  "  that  he  had  selected  the  same  subject, 
and  as  it  was  not  yet,  and  could  not  be  exhausted,  he  would  still 
preach  upon  it."  After  preaching,  the  ordinance  of  Baptism  was 
administered.  Mr.  Balch  assisted  in  the  organization  of  churches ; 
under  his  patronage  Greenville  College  was  founded  and  rose  to 
usefulness.  Mr.  Carrick  organized  Lebanon  church,  and  also  the 
church  in  Knoxville.  He  was  the  first  President  of  Blount  College 
in  that  place,  and  finished  a  life  of  usefulness  in  1808,  very  sud- 
denly. For  want  of  memoranda  little  can  here  be  said  of  these 
men,  whose  lives  afforded  matter  of  great  interest  to  the  Christian 
public,  and  must  hold  a  prominent  place  in  a  correct  history  of  Ten- 
nessee. Says  a  gentleman  who  knew  him — "  Rev.  Samuel  Carrick, 
equally  orthodox,  and  not  less  learned  or  devoted  to  the  service  of 
his  master," — he  is  running  a  parallel  with  Mr.  Doak, — "  was  yet 
more  liberal,  tolerant,  and  refined.  He  had  a  great  deal  of  urbanity, 
much  of  the  suaviter  in  modo,  less  of  the  fortiter  in  re,  dressed  neat- 
ly, behaved  courteously,  grave,  polite,  genteel,  in  short  he  was  a 
model  of  an  old-fashioned  Southern  gentleman,  and  had  been  evi- 
dently (as  all  Presbyterian  clergymen  of  that  day  were,  and  ought 
still  to  be)  well  raised" 

About  the  same  time  a  son  of  the  first  minister  of  Sugar  Creek, 


EMIGRATION     TO    TENNESSEE.  313 

after  preaching  for  a  time  in  the  church  of  his  father,  removed  to 
West  Tennessee,  and  settled  near  where  Nashville  now  is,  on  the 
Cumberland  river.  A  man  of  fine  talents  and  capable  of  close 
thought,  he  did  the  cause  of  religion  much  service.  In  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  life  he  had  some  difficulties  that  hindered,  for  a 
time,  his  usefulness,  but  which  served  to  draw  forth  the  friendly  in- 
fluence and  unqualified  approbation  of  General  Jackson,  who  was 
not  unacquainted  with  Sugar  Creek  and  its  recollections.  Mr. 
Craighead  lies  buried  near  the  Hermitage. 

The  above  short  notices  are  given  merely  to  show  the  connection 
of  the  churches  in  Tennessee  with  those  in  Carolina  and  Virginia, 
to  the  first  for  the  most  emigrants,  and  to  the  second  for  most 
ministers ;  and  also  to  say,  that  there  are  a  variety  of  incidents  con- 
nected with  the  first  settlements,  that  must  be,  if  preserved,  of  ex- 
ceeding interest  to  succeeding  generations. 

Abingdon  Presbytery  was  formed  August,  1785,  its  first  meeting 
being  held  at  Salem.  A  well  written  history  of  that  Presbytery,  and 
those  formed  from  it,  would  comprise  a  history  of  the  struggles  and 
tempests  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  which  were  felt  in  all  their 
force  in  Tennessee,  before  the  surface  of  the  ocean  was  agitated 
around  Philadelphia,  as  will  be  seen  by  a  reference  to  the  minutes 
of  the  Synod  of  North  Carolina,  in  the  preceding  chapter. 

We  shall  close  this  short  chapter,  by  giving  the  names  of  the  first 
trustees  of  three  of  the  Colleges  : — 

1st.  Washington  College  : — Rev.  Messrs.  Samuel  Doak,  Charles 
Cummins,  Edward  Crawford,  Robert  Henderson  and  Gideon  Black- 
burn : — Messrs.  Jonathan  Cottom,  Alexander  Matthews,  John  Nelson, 
Henry  Nelson  (father  of  two  preachers,  Kelso  Nelson  and  David 
Nelson),  John  McAllister  and  John  Blois,  who  were  elders  of  Salem 
church ;  and  Messrs.  Joseph  Anderson,  John  Sevier,  Landon  Carter, 
Daniel  Kennedy,  Leroy  Taylor,  John  Tipton,  Wm.  Cooke,  Archibald 
Roane,  James  Hamilton,  John  Rhea,  Samuel  Mitchell,  Jesse  Payne, 
James  Aiken,  Wm.  Hott,  Wm.  Chester,  David  Deaderick  and  John 
Waddell. 

2d.  Of  Blount  College: — Rev.  Samuel  Carrick,  President, 
Messrs.  James  WThite,  Francis  Alexander  Ramsey,  George  McNutt 
and  John  Adair,  elders  in  Mr.  Carrick's  churches ;  and  Messrs. 
William  Blount,  Daniel  Smith,  David  Campbell,  Joseph  Anderson, 
John  Sevier,  Alexander  Kelly,  Wm.  Cooke,  Willie  Blount,  Joseph 
Hamilton,  Archibald  Roane,  Charles  McClung,  George  Ruolstone 
arid  Robert  Houston. 

3d.  Greenville  College  : — Rev.  Messrs.  Hezekiah  Balch,  Samuel 


314  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Doak,  James  Balch,  Samuel  Carrick,  Robert  Henderson  and  Gideon 
Blackburn ;  and  Messrs.  A.  Roan,  Joseph  Hamilton,  Wm.  Cooke, 
Daniel  Kennedy,  Landon  Carter,  Joseph  Harden,  John  Rhea  and 
John  Sevier. 

The  efforts  for  literature  and  morals  in  Tennessee,  are  not  sur- 
passed in  any  of  the  western  or  southwestern  States,  and  they  compare 
advantageously  with  any  of  her  older  sisters.  There  is  much  pure 
religion  and  vital  goodness  in  Tennessee. 


REV.    JAMES    HALL.  315 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

REV.   JAMES   HALL,   D.D.,   AND   THE   CHURCHES    IN   IREDELL. 

Melchizedek  was  a  king,  and  a  priest  of  the  Most  High  God. 
Abraham,  the  Father  of  the  Faithful,  led,  for  once  at  least,  a  military 
expedition,  and  on  his  return  from  a  complete  victory  received  the 
blessing  of  the  king  of  Salem,  whom  the  Apostle  set  forth  as  a  type 
of  Christ  the  Lord,  the  author  and  finisher  of  Faith.  In  the  war  of 
the  American  Revolution  there  were  many  young  men  to  be  found 
in  the  ranks  of  our  armies,  and  in  the  prisons  of  the  enemy,  who, 
after  hazarding  their  lives  for  their  country,  entered  the  ministry 
and  spent  their  days  in  preaching  the  everlasting  gospel  of  our  Lord 
and  Saviour  Jesus  Christ, — such  as  Hunter  of  Carolina,  and  Marshall, 
and  Houston,  and  Lyle  of  Virginia.  There  were  also  many  clergy- 
men that  went  with  the  armies  to  act  as  chaplains,  and  displayed  in 
the  various  dangers  and  exposures  of  the  camp  and  a  soldier's  life, 
the  cool  collected  bravery  of  men  at  peace  with  themselves  and  with 
their  God,  and  engaged  in  a  good  cause, — such  as  McCaule  of  Cen- 
tre, afterwards  of  South  Carolina,  who  was  beside  General  Davidson 
when  he  fell  at  Cowan's  Ford ;  some  of  whom  were  made  a  sacrifice 
to  their  country's  safety — as  Rosborough  of  New  Jersey.  But  there 
is  not  perhaps  another  instance  of  a  man,  a  licensed  preacher  of  the 
gospel,  that  took  part  in  military  expeditions,  and  commanded  com- 
panies, and  still  retained  the  character  and  maintained  the  dignity 
and  office  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  beside  that  of  James  Hall  of 
Iredell,  the  preacher  and  the  soldier.  There  were  some  ministers 
that  laid  aside  their  office  for  a  military  command,  and  never  re- 
sumed it,  as  Muhlenburg  of  Pennsylvania,  and  Thruston  of  Virginia. 
But  James  Hall  performed  both  offices,  a  military  commander  and 
a  preacher  of  righteousness  ;  was  acceptable  in  both  as  a  young  man, 
and  died  at  an  advanced  age  a  minister  of  the  gospel.  Said  Dr. 
Robinson  of  Poplar  Tent,  "  when  a  boy  at  school  at  Charlotte,  I  saw 
James  Hall  pass  through  the  town,  with  his  three-cornered  hat  and 
long  sword,  the  captain  at  the  head  of  a  company,  and  chaplain  of 
the  regiment."  An  amalgamation  of  characters  and  offices  justified 
only  by  special  emergencies,  and  to  be  successfully  attempted  only 
by  few.     Born,  of  Scotch-Irish  parentage,  at  Carlisle,  Pennsylvania, 


316  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

August  22d,  1744,  and  removed  by  them  to  North  Carolina,  when 
about  eight  years  old,  he  grew  up  in  the  upper  part  of  Rowan,  now 
Iredell,  in  the  bounds  of  the  congregation  to  which  he  afterwards 
was  pastor  during  his  whole  ministerial  life  of  thirty-eight  years. 

The  first  grants  of  land,  in  that  part  of  the  country,  bear  date 
about  the  time  that  the  family  of  Dr.  Hall  emigrated  to  Carolina,  as 
may  be  seen  from  a  grant  in  the  possession  of  Col.  Allison,  whose 
tract  was  perhaps  the  second  that  was  located.  The  name  of  Gran- 
ville, by  his  deputy,  is  affixed.  The  settlements  along  Fourth  Creek 
and  South  Yadkin,  from  which  the  congregations  of  Bethany,  Tabor, 
Fourth  Creek  or  Statesville,  and  Concord,  were  ultimately  formed, 
all  being  called  Fourth  Creek  for  a  length  of  time,  were  of  the 
names  of  Harris,  Alexander,  Hill,  Luckey,  Bone,  King,  Patterson, 
Shnipe,  Henry,  Morrison,  Johnson,  McKnight,  Stevenson,  Watts, 
Hall,  Boyd,  Milligan,  Adams,  Scroggs,  McLean,  Allison,  Purviance, 
Warson,  Ireland,  Sloan,  McLelland,  Potts,  Snoddy,  Murdock,  Bell, 
and  Archibald.  Coming  from  Pennsylvania  here,  these  people 
naturally  looked  to  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Presbyteries 
of  which  it  was  composed,  for  their  ministers ;  and  being  many  of 
them  pious  people,  their  "  supplications"  for  ministerial  labor  ap- 
pear very  early  on  the  records  of  the  Synod.  In  the  year  1753,  the 
following  minute  was  made,  viz. : — "  The  supplications  from  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina  were  considered,  and  the  Synod  orders 
Mr.  McMordie  to  supply  the  vacancies  in  those  parts  for  ten  weeks, 
or  longer  if  he  find  it  needful,  and  that  he  pay  a  greater  regard  to 
the  larger  societies  that  have  supplicated  this  Synod  from  time  to 
time,  and  at  the  same  time  do  what  he  can  to  promote  the  benefit 
of  younger  settlements,  and  that  he  set  out  the  1st  of  July  next,  and 
that  Mr.  Donaldson,  in  like  manner,  supply  the  same  back  parts, 
and  continue  there  for  ten  weeks  or  as  much  longer  as  he  thinks  fit, 
and  that  he  shall  set  out  the  1st  of  October.  The  Synod  recom- 
mends it  to  Messrs.  McMordie  and  Donaldson  to  show  a  special 
regard  to  the  vacancies  of  North  Carolina,  especially  betwixt  the 
Atkin  (Yadkin)  and  Catawba  Rivers,  in  giving  them  a  considerable 
part  of  the  time  they  spend  in  those  parts."  This  commission  cov- 
ered not  only  Fourth  Creek,  but  the  neighborhoods  that  formed  the 
old  churches  of  Concord  Presbytery,  all  of  which  had  been  com- 
menced previous  to  this  date.  In  1755,  there  is  the  following 
order — "  That  Mr.  Donaldson  supply  the  back  inhabitants  of  Vir- 
ginia and  North  Carolina,  at  least  three  months  next  fall ;  and  that 
he  in  particular  pay  a  regard  to  the  supplications  that  were  laid  be- 
fore this  Synod  by  some  of  these  back  inhabitants.     That  Mr.  Wil- 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  317 

son  supply  them  in  like  manner  for  three  months  next  winter ;  and 
Mr.  McKennan  for  three  months  next  spring."  Considering  the 
small  number  of  preachers  in  the  Synod,  and  the  great  number  of 
vacancies  requiring  aid  in  Pennsylvania,  as  well  as  south  of  the 
Potomac,  this  supply  of  nine  months  was  liberal.  In  1757  it  was 
ordered,  "  That  Mr.  Millar  supply  the  following  settlements  in  order 
in  the  fall,  each  one  Sabbath  day,  viz.,  Cather's  (Thyatira),  Osborn's 
(Centre),  Morison's  (Rocky  River),  Jersey's  on  Atkin,  Buffler's, 
Hawfield's  and  Baker's  settlements.  And  that  Mr.  Craig  supply 
the  same  one  Sabbath  day  in  the  spring."  These  Sabbaths,  one  in 
the  fall  and  the  other  in  the  spring,  were  great  days  in  the  settle- 
ments, and  people  gathered  from  their  dispersed  homes  and  followed 
the  preachers,  eager  to  catch  something  that  should  be  their  scrip- 
tural food  for  the  long  abstinence  to  come. 

In  the  year  1755,  we  find  in  the  minutes  of  the  Synod  of  New 
York,  that  the  brethren  composing  that  energetic  body,  were  not 
unmindful  of  the  southern  vacancies.  Beside  constituting  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Hanover,  they  passed  the  following  order,  viz. :  "  Upon 
sundry  petitions  from  various  parts  of  North  Carolina,  setting  forth 
their  distressing  circumstances  for  want  of  a  preached  gospel  among 
them,  and  requesting  help  from  this  synod,  Messrs.  John  Brainerd 
and  Eiihu  Spencer  are  appointed  to  take  a  journey  thither  before 
winter,  and  supply  the  vacant  congregations  there,  and  in  parts  ad- 
jacent, for  six  months,  or  as  long  as  they  shall  think  necessary ; 
and  the  appointment  for  supplies  for  Mr.  Spencer's  congregation  is 
referred  till  to-morrow." 

After  the  Synods  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  were  united,  in 
the  year  1758,  the  supply  of  the  southern  vacancies  claimed  their 
attention ;  missionaries  were  sent  that  were  so  acceptable,  that 
numerous  calls  came  up  to  Synod  for  them,  to  be  located  as  settled 
pastors.  In  the  year  1765  is  the  following  minute, — "  a  call  for 
the  Reverend  Mr.  Spencer  from  Cathy's  settlement  (Thyatira)  and 
Fourth  Creek,  which  was  presented  to  him  ;  also  a  supplication  for 
supplies  from  the  inhabitants  of  North  Carolina,  living  between  the 
waters  of  Yadkin  and  Catawba  rivers,  and  particularly  for  the  re- 
moval of  Mr.  Spencer  and  Mr.  McWhorter  to  settle  among  them." 
Then  follow  the  applications  from  Bethel  and  Poplar  Tent,  New 
Providence  and  the  Six  Mile  Spring,  Hawfields,  and  Little  River, 
and  from  Long  Canes  in  South  Carolina.  "  In  consequence  of  sun- 
dry applications  from  North  Carolina  for  supplies,  the  Synod  ap- 
pointed Messrs.  Nathan  Kerr,  George  Duffield,  William  Ramsay, 
David  Caldwell,  James  Lattar,  and  Robert  McMordie,  to  go  there 


318  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

as  soon  as  they  can  conveniently,  and  each  of  them  to  tarry  half  a 
year  in  these  vacant  congregations,  as  prudence  may  direct." 

Fourth  Creek  church  was  organized  by  the  Mr.  Elihu  Spencer 
mentioned  in  the  two  preceding  minutes,  and  embraced  the  inhabit- 
ants between  the  South  Yadkin  and  the  Catawba  rivers.  This  took 
place  some  time  in  the  year  1764,  or  early  in  the  year  1765,  wlien 
the  bounds  of  all  the  congregations  were  settled.  From  all  the 
efforts  made  for  settled  pastors,  there  was  but  one  congregation, 
that  of  Rocky  River,  that  could  obtain  any  preaching  except  from 
missionaries,  for  many  years ;  and  Fourth  Creek  had  no  regular 
pastor  till  James  Hall,  who  grew  up  in  the  bounds,  became  their 
minister  in  1778.  From  the  records  of  Hanover  Presbytery,  it  ap- 
pears that  Mr.  Craighead  was  directed  by  his  Presbytery  to  supply 
Fourth  Creek  two  Sabbaths,  and  Mr.  James  Hunt  the  same  number 
of  days  in  the  year  1762. 

That  these  vacancies,  some  of  them  at  least,  expected  to  con- 
tribute to  the  support  of  their  ministers,  appears  from  the  minutes 
of  the  Synod  in  the  year  1767.  Besides  mentioning  the  reception 
of  petitions  for  supplies  from  Cathey's  settlement  (Thyatira),  Long 
Canes,  Indian  Creek,  and  Duncan's  Creek ;  and  motions  for  sup- 
plies for  Edenton,  Newbern,  Fourth  Creek,  Upper  Hico,  Haw 
River,  Goshen  in  the  forks  of  Catawba,  the  south  fork  of  Catawba, 
the  forks  of  Yadkin  and  Salisbury ;  the  following  record  is  made, 
viz. :  "  The  following  congregations  in  North  Carolina,  viz. :  Sugar 
Creek,  Fishing  Creek,  Bethel,  the  Jersey  settlement,  Centre  congre- 
gation, Poplar  Tent,  and  Rocky  River,  united  in  a  petition  for  one 
or  more  of  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Spencer,  Lewis,  McWhorter,  and 
James  Caldwell,  to  be  sent  there,  promising  for  their  encourage- 
ment that  the  sum  of  eighty  pounds  be  paid  by  any  of  these  con- 
gregations in  which  he  shall  choose  to  spend  half  of  his  time,  and 
another  eighty  pounds  by  the  vacant  congregations  he  shall  supply." 
Neither  of  the  ministers  referred  to  was  willing  to  accept  the  call, 
and  as  Mr.  Craighead  of  Sugar  Creek  was  dead,  there  was  no  set- 
tled minister  south  of  the  Yadkin  for  a  few  years. 

Secluded  in  the  forests  of  Rowan,  alike  ignorant  of  the  knowledge 
and  the  follies  of  the  great  world,  James  Hall  grew  up  under  the 
watchful  care  of  pious  parents,  and  the  instructions  he  could  receive 
from  these  faithful  and  laborious  missionaries,  whose  visits  to  the 
congregation  were,  less  often  than  welcome,  about  once  a  quarter. 
He  was  made  familiar  with  the  Bible  and  the  Westminster 
catechism  in  his  early  days,  and  his  mind  stored  with  the  best  of 
truth  before  he  could  appreciate  the  excellence  of  the  truth  itself,  or 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  319 

the  motives  of  the  pious  parents  who  so  assiduously  taught  him. 
The  coming  of  a  missionary  was  an  event  of  magnitude,  an  epoch 
in  the  current  of  time,  in  these  Carolina  settlements  of  Protestant- 
Irish.  He  brought  news  from  a  far  country,  for  Philadelphia,  in 
those  days,  was  at  the  distance  of  a  horseback  journey  of  two  or 
three  weeks,  and  no  current  of  passengers  in  stages  or  rail  cars,  no 
daily  or  weekly  mail,  brought  the  latest  information ;  he  was 
messenger  from  friends  and  acquaintances  left  behind,  or  coming  on ; 
he  proclaimed  the  truth  many  were  desirous  of  hearing,  pouring  in 
the  oil  of  grace  to  the  wounded  spirit,  comforting  the  bowed  down ; 
he  administered  the  ordinances,  called  the  children  to  catechual  in- 
struction, and  visited  the  sick.  The  impressions  made  by  these 
visitations  were  of  the  most  happy  and  religious  kind,  and  were 
followed  by  hopeful  conversions.  The  more  important  matters  of 
discipline  and  church  order  were  particularly  attended  to  during  the 
excursions  of  the  missionaries  ;  for  instance, — in  the  records  of  the 
Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  in  1756 — "  The  Synod  more 
particularly  considering  the  state  of  many  congregations  to  the 
southward,  and  particularly  North  Carolina,  and  particularly  the 
great  importance  of  having  those  congregations  properly  organized, 
appoint  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Elihu  Spencer  and  Alexander  McWhorter, 
to  go  as  our  missionaries  for  that  purpose  ;  that  they  form  societies, 
help  them  in  adjusting  the  bounds,  ordain  elders,  administer  sealing 
ordinances,  instruct  the  people  in  discipline,  and  finally,  direct  them 
in  their  after  conduct,  particularly  in  what  manner  they  shall  proceed 
to  obtain  the  stated  ministry,  and  whatever  else  may  appeal-  useful 
or  necessary  for  those  churches,  and  the  future  settlement  of  the 
gospel  among  them."  This  mission  was  fulfilled  to  such  entire 
satisfaction  that  these  gentlemen  were  importuned  to  settle  in 
Carolina ;  and  Mr.  McWhorter  was  ultimately  chosen  president  of 
the  college  erected  at  Charlotte.  From  the  term  of  this  visit,  we 
may  consider  the  bounds  of  the  old  churches  in  Orange  and  Concord 
Presbyteries  as  settled,  and  the  sessions  as  generally  duly  organized. 
Previous  to  this  the  settlements  acted  independently  in  their  religious 
matters.  At  this  time  numbers  were  united  into  one  congregation. 
It  was  probably  during  this  visit  that  Mr.  Hall  made  profession  of 
religion,  as  it  is  stated  that  he  united  with  the  church  when  he  was 
about  twenty  years  old.  Of  the  exercises  of  his  mind  previously  to 
that  event  little  more  is  known  than  that  he  had  been  a  subject  of 
religious  impressions,  from  term  to  term,  commencing  in  his  eighth 
year.  In  a  paper  drawn  up  by  him  in  the  year  1787,  it  appears  that 
from  his  first  entrance  on  a  religious  life,  he  was  diligent  and  faith- 


320  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ful  in  self-examination  ;  that  his  conduct,  and  motives,  and  feelings, 
were  all  often  tested  by  the  word  of  God.  His  enjoyments  in 
religion  were  often  sweet,  and  his  hope  of  salvation  strong.  "  Not 
long,"  says  he,  "  after  my  first  comforts,  I  felt  a  strong  desire 
towards  the  ministry  of  the  Gospel.  Of  this  I  considered  it  in  vain 
to  think,  when  I  took  a  view  of  my  family  circumstances.  My 
father,  at  that  time  aged,  and  in  a  declining  state  of  health,  my 
two  elder  brothers  married,  and  my  two  younger  brothers  were  in  a 
measure  children — so  that  as  a  means,  I  was  almost  the  only  support 
of  the  family,  which  was  in  comfortable,  but  not  affluent  circum- 
stances. It  was,  however,  my  constant  prayer  to  God,  that  he 
might,  in  some  way,  open  a  door  in  the  course  of  his  providence, 
that  so  I  might  obtain  my  wished-for  object,  even  when  I  saw  no 
prospect  of  an  answer.  After  about  four  years  I  communicated  my 
sentiments  to  my  parents,  whom,  contrary  to  my  expectations,  I 
found  willing  to  support  me  in  a  course  of  study." 

About  the  time  he  communicated  his  wishes  to  his  parents,  he 
entered  into  a  solemn  covenant  with  God  to  devote  his  whole  life  to 
the  preaching  of  the  gospel,  if  he  could  be  suitably  qualified  by  a 
proper  preparatory  education. 

After  it  was  determined  in  the  family  that  he  should  commence  a 
course  of  education  for  the  ministry,  a  dangerous  sickness,  with 
other  causes,  delayed  his  actually  entering  upon  his  studies  for 
about  a  year.  During  this  interval  an  event,  or  train  of  events,  oc- 
curred, which  caused  him  bitterness  of  soul,  and  which  led  him  ulti- 
mately to  determine  to  spend  his  life  an  unmarried  man,  in  direct 
opposition  to  that  tenderness  of  heart,  and  affectionate  disposition, 
he  was  known  to  possess  from  his  earliest  boyhood,  to  his  latest 
breath.  Attending  the  wedding  of  a  young  friend,  he  enjoyed  to 
a  high  degree  the  company  of  an  amiable,  pious  lady,  in  all  the 
loveliness  of  youth,  rendered  more  lovely  by  the  excitement  of  the 
occasion.  On  his  return  home,  his  thoughts  were  so  busied  about 
this  absent  fair  one,  that  he  visits  her,  and  frankly  declares  his 
attachment,  and  is  made  very  happy  in  the  anticipation  of  that 
union  she  permitted  him  to  hope  for.  He  seemed  to  have  forgotten 
his  devotion  to  the  work  of  the  ministry,  and  his  projected  educa- 
tion, in  the  ardor  of  his  first  love.  As  he  said  afterwards,  "  he 
thought  of  nothing  but  the  object  of  his  affections,  he  saw  in  her 
piety  and  amiableness,  every  quality  to  make  him  happy,  and  he 
revelled  in  his  anticipated  felicity."  But  when  he  began  to  reflect 
how  he  was  to  dispose  of  himself  for  life,  he  called  to  mind  his  for- 
mer purposes,  and  felt  the  difficulties  in  his  path.     His  perplexities 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  321 

increased  upon  reflection.  One  sabbath,' after  attending  preaching, 
he  walked  out  by  himself  to  indulge  in  meditation.  He  thought 
of  his  having  devoted  himself  to  God  in  the  ministry,  and  the  obli- 
gations of  that  covenant  he  had  voluntarily  made  and  solemnly 
imposed  upon  himself,  to  preach  the  gospel  during  his  whole  life, 
if  he  could  be  prepared  by  a  suitable  education  ;  that  God,  on  his 
part,  had  ratified  the  covenant  by  opening  the  way,  unexpectedly, 
for  his  attaining  the  desired  education ;  and  that  he  had  now  rashly 
and  voluntarily  declined  from  the  object  of  his  prayers  and  desires, 
and  had  involved  himself  in  difficulties  from  which  he  saw  no 
escape.  As  he  was  meditating  on  these  things,  his  former  back- 
slidings  came  up  to  his  recollection  one  after  another,  and  rushing 
upon  him  like  a  mighty  torrent  overwhelmed  him  with  a  sense  of 
guilt.  His  conscience  goaded  him  with  agonies  inexpressible. 
He  stood  in  amazement,  and  trembled  under  the  stings  of  remorse. 
He  was  afterwards  heard  to  say — that  the  experience  of  that  day 
had  given  him  some  conceptions  of  the  sufferings  that  could  be  in- 
flicted on  a  lost  soul  by  the  remembrance  of  its  former  guilt,  and 
that  it  might  be  intolerable.  He  sought  an  interview  with  the  lady 
and  stated  the  case  to  her,  and  by  mutual  consent,  the  matrimo- 
nial engagement  was  dissolved,  and  he  returned  to  his  former  pur- 
pose to  prepare  for  preaching  the  gospel,  with  an  humbled  and 
chastened  spirit,  less  inclined  to  self-dependence,  and  more  fearful 
of  sinning  against  God.  This  was  his  first  and  last  effort  towards 
the  matrimonial  life.  The  scheme  of  action  he  proposed  to  himself, 
and  which  was  carried  out  by  him  through  life,  was  not  compatible 
with  the  duties  of  the  head  of  a  family.  He  saw  the  wants  of  his 
countrymen ;  he  knew  little  of  preachers  but  as  travelling  mission- 
aries ;  and  his  devotion  to  God  to  preach  the  gospel  his  whole  life, 
appeared  to  him  to  stand  directly  in  the  way  of  his  performing  the 
duties  of  a  husband  and  a  father.  Had  he  been  a  married  man  he 
might  have  been  more  happy,  and  probably  would  have  been ;  he 
might  have  been  as  useful,  and  even  more  so ;  but  it  would  have 
been  usefulness  of  a  different  kind,  and  probably  very  many  that 
heard  the  gospel  from  his  lips  in  his  various  long  journeys,  would 
never  have  seen  his  face.  In  his  determination  that  no  matrimo- 
nial engagements  should  be  a  barrier  to  his  preconceived  purpose 
of  preparation  for  the  ministry  he  is  worthy  of  all  praise ;  and  in 
his  determination  to  hold  himself  in  readiness  for  a  missionary  life 
in  the  state  in  which  he  had  grown  to  manhood,  he  is  not  lightly 
to  be  blamed  when  the  vacancies  and  desolations  are  surveyed  by 

21 


322  SKETCHES    OF  NORTH    CAROLINA. 

the  eye  of  faith  and  benevolence,  and  the  little  band  of  laborers  are 
numbered  up. 

In  his  twenty-sixth  year  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  classics, 
and  made  rapid  progress,  as  his  mind  was  matured,  and  his  appli- 
cation unremitting.  He  had  been  accustomed  to  study  by  himself, 
and  had  acquired  habits  of  mental  application,  while  unaided  by  an 
instructor.  When  about  seventeen  years  of  age,  a  treatise  on 
geometry  fell  in  his  way  and  excited  his  attention.  He  applied 
himself  to  study  during  his  leisure  from  his  daily  avocations  on  the 
farm,  till  he  became  possessed  of  the  principles,  and  master  of  the 
contents.  By  the  help  of  the  plates  he  constructed  a  quadrant  with 
which  he  amused  himself  and  his  friends  by  measuring  the  height 
of  trees,  and  the  distance  of  objects.  The  taste  for  the  exact 
sciences  acquired  by  him  at  this  time,  in  the  midst  of  the  labors 
and  toils  of  a  farmer's  life,  remained  with  him  through  life.  The 
mathematics  were  his  favorite  study,  and  such  was  his  estimation 
of  them,  he  could  not  be  persuaded  to  think  favorably  of  the  intel- 
lectual powers  of  any  man  who  lightly  esteemed  this  branch  of 
education,  or  consider  his  course  of  study  liberal  whose  progress  in 
mathematics  was  small. 

He  pursued  his  collegiate  studies  at  Nassau  Hall,  Princeton,  then 
under  the  direction  of  President  Witherspoon  ;  and  his  proficiency, 
particularly  in  the  exact  sciences,  attracted  the  attention  of  that 
clear-sighted  man.  He  took  the  bachelor's  degree  in  the  year 
1774,  in  his  thirty-first  year.  Soon  after,  Dr.  Witherspoon  ex- 
pressed his  desire  to  have  him  employed  in  the  college  as  teacher 
of  mathematics.  Such  a  proposition  from  such  a  man  was  the 
highest  encomium.  But  however  gratifying  the  offer  of  employ- 
ment by  such  a  man  as  Dr.  Witherspoon  might  have  been  to  him, 
the  recollection  of  his  early  dedication  to  God  for  the  ministry — of 
the  mental  agony  he  had  endured,  when,  by  his  imprudent  matrimo- 
nial engagement,  he  had,  to  all  appearances,  thrown  himself  out  of 
the  way  of  preparation  for  the  sacred  office,  and  the  already  ad- 
vanced period  of  his  life,  together  with  the  great  necessity  for 
ministers  of  the  gospel  in  North  Carolina,  forbade  his  connection 
with  the  college  as  a  teacher. 

The  theological  reading  of  Mr.  Hall  was  pursued  under  the  di- 
rection of  Dr.  Witherspoon,  that  eminent  minister  and  patriot, 
whose  views  in  religion,  morality  and  politics,  were  thoroughly  im- 
bibed by  his  scholar.  The  Presbytery  of  Orange  licensed  him  to 
preach  the  gospel  as  a  probationer  some  time  between  the  meeting 
of  the  general  assembly  in  1775,  and  the  meeting  in  1776  ;  tradition 


REV.    JAMES      HALL.  323 

says  in  the  spring  of  1776.  In  the  entire  loss  of  the  records  of  the 
Presbytery  of  this  date,  we  take  the  following  minute  from  the 
records  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  May  28th, 
1776.  "  A  letter  from  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  was  brought  in 
and  read,  informing  that  they  have,  since  the  last  Synod,  licensed 
Messrs.  Robert  Archibald,  Thomas  Harris  McCaule,  and  James 
Hall,  to  preach  the  gospel,  and  requested  the  Synod  to  send  as 
many  supplies  as  they  can  to  the  relief  of  the  numerous  vacancies 
in  those  parts." 

There  were  at  this  time  the  following  ministers  in  North  Caro- 
lina, viz.  :  James  Campbell,  who  commenced  his  labors  among  the 
Scotch  on  Cape  Fear,  1756  ;  his  name  appears  on  the  roll  of  Synod 
in  1746,  as  member  of  Newcastle  Presbytery:  Hugh  McAden,  who 
visited  Duplin  County,  1755,  as  a  licentiate  of  Newcastle  Presby- 
tery ;  his  name  first  appears  on  the  roll  of  Synod  as  member  of  New- 
castle Presbytery,  1757 ;  he  was  received  into  Hanover  Presbytery, 
1759,  October  4th.  Henry  Pattillo,  licensed  by  Hanover  Pres- 
bytery, in  1755,  ordained  1758,  and  accepted  a  call  from  Hawfield, 
1765  :  James  Crtswell,  licensed  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  1764,  and 
was  ordained  pastor  of  Nutbush,  Grassy  Creek,  and  Lower  Hico, 
1765  ;  David  Caldwell,  ordained  by  New  Brunswick  Presbytery, 
1765,  received  into  Hanover  1767,  pastor  of  Buffalo  and  Alamance, 
1768  :  Joseph  Alexander,  ordained  by  Hanover  Presbytery,  March, 
1768,  as  pastor  of  Sugar  Creek,  having  been  received  as  licentiate 
from  Newcastle  Presbytery.  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  ordained  by 
the  Donegal,  and  reported  to  Synod  1770,  pastor  of  Poplar  Tent. 
These  were  in  connection  with  Orange  Presbytery,  which  then  ex- 
tended over  North  and  South  Carolina,  and  had  in  all  twelve 
members,  eight  in  North  Carolina,  and  four  in  South  Carolina.  To 
these  may  be  added  Mr.  James  Tate,  who  was  living  in  Wilming- 
ton, but  not  connected  with  the  Presbytery.  The  congregations 
and  neighborhoods  that  required  the  labors  of  a  Presbyterian  minis- 
ter, were  more  than  five  times  that  number.  It  is  not  wonderful, 
therefore,  that  numerous  invitations  to  become  pastor  should  be 
given  to  Mr.  Hall ;  and  that  his  intention  to  pursue  the  study  of 
divinity  still  longer  before  becoming  a  pastor,  should  be  overruled 
by  the  pressing  calls  for  the  word  of  life. 

The  neighborhoods  composing  Fourth  Creek  church,  in  the  bounds 
of  which  he  had  passed  his  youth,  persuaded  him  to  take  his  resi- 
dence with  them,  to  become  their  pastor.  Some  time  previously  the 
church  had  been  divided,  and  into  three  distinct  organizations  ;  one 
of  which  retained  the  name,  the  preaching  place  being  at  Statesville 
the  county  seat, — one  was  called  Concord,  the  place  of  preaching 


324  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

about  six  miles  west  of  Statesville, — the  other  Bethany,  the  preaching 
place  about  six  miles  east  of  Statesville.  On  the  8th  of  .April,  1778, 
Mr.  Hall  was  installed  pastor  of  the  united  congregations  of  Fourth 
Creek,  Concord  and  Bethany.  There  is  no  record  of  the  time  of  his 
ordination ;  it  is  probable  the  ordination  took  place  at  the  time  of 
installation.  In  the  records  of  the  Synod  of ..  New  York  and 
Philadelphia,  there  is  no  list  of  the  ministers  in  Orange  Presbytery, 
after  1774,  till  1780 ;  and  for  the  years  1777,  1778,  1779,  there 
is  no  report  of  any  kind.  Mr.  Hall's  name  appears  on  the  list  given 
for  1780. 

The  names  of  the  elders  at  Fourth  Creek  were  James  Barr, 
William  Stevenson,  John  Stevenson,  Andrew  McEnzie,  John 
Murdock,  Mussentine  Mathews  and  John  McLelland. 

During  the  exciting  scenes  of  the  Revolution,  in  which  he  had 
been  licensed  and  ordained,  Mr.  Hall  held  the  office  of  pastor  of 
these  three  congregations,  which  extended  from  South  Yadkin  to 
the  Catawba,  and  some  members  of  the  congregation  coming  from 
beyond  these  rivers ;  and  after  the  Revolution  he  served  them  till 
the  year  1790,  when  wishing  to  devote  more  time  to  the  cause  of 
domestic  missions  than  could  be  consistent  with  so  large  a  charge, 
he  was  released  from  his  connection  with  Fourth  Creek  and  Concord. 
His  connection  with  Bethany  continued  till  his  death,  July  25th, 
1826,  a  period  of  twenty-six  years. 

A  full  account  of  his  actions  during  the  Revolution  would  fill  a 
volume ;  his  active,  enterprising  spirit  would  not  let  him  be  neuter  ; 
his  principles  drawn  from  the  Word  of  God  and  the  doctrines  of  his 
church,  and  cultivated  by  Dr.  Witherspoon,  carried  him  with  all  his 
heart  to  defend  the  ground  taken  by  the  convention  in  Mecklenburg, 
May,  1775,  and  by  the  Continental  Congress  in  1776.  He  gave 
his  powers  of  mind,  body  and  estate  in  the  eause  of  his  country.  As 
the  citizens  would  assemble  to  hear  news  and  discuss  the  politics  of 
those  trying  times,  and  were  making  choice  of  the  side  they  would 
espouse,  Mr.  Hall  was  accustomed  to  meet  with  them,  and  addressing 
them,  infused  his  own  spirit  and  inflamed  their  love  of  liberty,  and 
strengthened  their  purpose  of  maintaining  their  rights  at  all  hazards. 
The  tradition  about  him,  in  these  cases,  is  that  he  was  eminently 
successful ;  and  the  fact  that  there  was  great  unanimity  in  that  sec- 
tion of  country,  in  a  measure  the  effect  of  his  exertions,  would  of 
itself  show  that  he  was  both  influential  and  eloquent. 

When  the  adjacent  State,  South  Carolina,  was  overrun  by  the 
British  forces,  under  Cornwallis,  Mr.  Hall's  spirit  was  stirred  within 
him  as  he  heard  of  the  massacres,  and  plunderings,  and  battles,  and 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  325 

varied  distress  and  sufferings  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  upper  part 
of  the  State,  from  the  same  stock  as  himself,  of  the  same  re- 
ligious creed,  and  holding  the  same  general  principles  of  govern- 
ment, and  civil  and  religious  liberty.  He  assembled  his  flock, 
and  addressed  them  on  the  occasion.  He  painted  to  their  view 
in  a  most  thrilling  manner  the  wrongs  of  his  country,  and  the 
sufferings  of  their  friends  and  countrymen  in  the  neighboring  state, 
and  called  upon  them  to  take  arms  in  their  defence,  the  defence 
of  all  that  was  dear.  A  company  of  cavalry,  composed  of  choice 
men,  was  immediately  organized.  By  general  consent  he  was 
demanded  for  their  leader  ;  all  his  objections  were  overruled,  and 
to  encourage  his  countrymen  to  act  rather  than  to  talk,  he  ac- 
cepted the  command.  In  the  year  1779,  he  led  them  on  an  ex- 
pedition into  South  Carolina,  of  several  months'  continuance, 
performing  the  double  office  of  Commander  and  Chaplain,  and 
marched  over  a  large  part  of  the  western  section  of  the  State. 

During  this  expedition  two  of  his  men  were  taken  prisoners. 
As  he  could  not  recover  them  by  force  of  arms,  he  made  their 
case  a  subject  of  prayer,  both  in  private,  and  in  public,  with  his 
men.  In  a  few  clays  they  rejoined  the  company,  having  made 
their  escape.  As  their  captors  lay  encamped  one  night  on  the 
banks  of  Broad  River,  in  South  Carolina,  their  sentinel  at  the 
door  of  the  guard-house,  their  place  of  confinement,  was  observed 
to  be  drowsy ;.  they  remaining  quiet,  he  fell  asleep.  Stepping 
noiselessly  over  the  soldier,  as  he  lay  with  his  gun  folded  in  his 
arms,  they  run  for  the  river.  The  noise  of  their  plunge  called 
the  attention  of  the  other  sentries ;  the  alarm  is  given ;  boats  are 
manned  for  pursuit,  but  the  active  swimmers  reach  the  opposite 
bank  first,  and  escape  their  pursuers,  to  the  great  joy  of  the 
praying  Captain  and  the  company. 

Going  one  day  on  a  reconnoitring  expedition,  accompanied  by 
an  officer  of  the  company,  his  friend  Mathews,  as  the)'  emerged 
from  a  dense  forest  into  an  open  field,  near  to  and  in  full  view  of 
a  house,  they  observed  some  fifteen  or  twenty  British  dragoons 
around  the  house,  some  walking  about,  and  some  ready  mounted. 
In  a  moment  they  observed  the  peril  of  their  situation,  from  the 
number  of  the  enemy,  and  the  position  of  the  house  and  open 
fields  ;  that  it  was  as  impossible  to  escape  by  flight,  as  reckless  to 
make  an  attack  on  ten  times  their  number,  fully  aware  of  their 
approach.  They  halted  ;  Mathews  drew  his  sword,  and  turning 
in  his  saddle  towards  the  wood,  waves  it  as  if  summoning  a  com- 
pany to  advance.     The  dragoons  take  the  alarm,  and  dashing  off 


326  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

at  full  speed,  were  soon  out  of  sight,  leaving  our  two  officers  to 
make  good  their  retreat. 

On  another  occasion  there  was  a  call  for  a  volunteer  company,  to 
break  up  a  nest  of  tories  on  the  rich  lands  of  the  Uwharree  River, 
in  Montgomery  county,  who  were  infesting  the  country  greatly. 
Mr.  Hall  attended  the  meeting  of  the  citizens  assembled  upon  the 
occasion,  and  delivered  them  an  address  full  of  patriotism  and 
feeling.  At  the  close  of  his  speech  a  greater  number  offered  their 
services  than  were  called  for  the  expedition. 

When  it  was  necessary  for  the  American  forces  to  march  into 
the  Cherokee  country,  in  Georgia,  to  quell  the  Indians,  a  company 
was  raised  in  Iredell  for  that  expedition,  and  Mr.  Hall  went  with 
his  friends  as  chaplain  to  the  army.  During  the  expedition,  which 
lasted  about  two  months,  the  chaplain  offered  public  prayers  very 
regularly  morning  and  evening  ;  but  had  but  one  opportunity  of 
preaching.  On  that  occasion  he  took  his  stand  under  a  large  shady 
tree  ;  the  army,  consisting  of  about  four  thousand  men,  was  drawn 
up  around  him  ;  the  soldiers  brought  from  the  neighboring  woods, 
each  a  young  sapling,  or  long  branch  of  a  tree,  with  all  the  foliage, 
and  as  they  were  drawn  up  around  in  close  ranks,  seating  them- 
selves on  the  ground,  and  resting  their  shady  branches  upon  the 
earth,  they  formed  a  dense  shade,  and  under  this  novel  shelter  from 
the  sun  listened  to  the  sermon.  In  honor  of  that  first  gospel  ser- 
mon in  the  Indian  territories,  the  adjacent  country  was  named 
after  the  chaplain,  Hall  county,  of  which  Gainsville  is  the  seat  of 
justice. 

Mr.  Hall  possessed  all  the  attributes  necessary  for  a  military 
commander.  His  fine  person,  his  stature  above  six  feet,  his  great 
muscular  strength  and  action,  rendered  his  appearance  command- 
ing. His  courage,  both  moral  and  physical,  undaunted,  he  was 
cool  in  council,  intrepid  in  danger,  and  decided  in  action.  His 
acquaintance  with  the  mathematics,  both  scientifically  and  practi- 
cally, his  great  capability  for  mechanical  pursuits  and  his  acquaint- 
ance with  the  details,  and  his  skill  in  the  operations,  enabled  him 
to  form  his  plans  with  readiness  and  execute  them  with  precision. 
His  kind  and  tender  feeling,  and  enthusiastic  love  of  liberty,  hav- 
ing the  control  of  a  fine  voice  and  pleasing  manner,  together  with 
his  great  attention  to  personal  appearance,  fitted  him  to  gain  and 
to  hold  the  affections  of  men.  His  stern  morality,  undoubted  piety 
and  practical  religion,  carried  everywhere  with  him,  combined 
with  an  amiable  disposition,  called  forth  the  reverence  of  the  good 
and  the  respect  of  all.     But  he  delighted  not  in  the  warlike  camp 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  327 

His  mission  was  one  of  peace  in  the  name  of  the  Prince  of  peace. 
To  encourage  his  congregations  and  his  countrymen  to  the  defence 
of  their  rights  of  conscience  and  of  person,  he  went  with  them 
into  the  midst  of  wars  and  fightings ;  but  he  went  always  as  the 
Christian  man  and  minister ;  and  when  that  object  was  gained,  he 
declined  military  service  when  offered  to  him  in  high  places. 

After  the  skirmish  at  Cowansford  on  the  Catawba,  between  the 
forces  of  Cornwallis  and  the  North  Carolina  militia,  in  which  his 
fellow  licentiate,  Thomas  H.  McCaule,  was  at  the.  side  of  Gen- 
eral Davidson  when  he  fell,  Mr.  Hall  was  singled  out  by  General 
Greene  to  be  commissioned  as  Brigadier  General,  to  fill  the  place 
of  Davidson.  But  the  proffered  honor  was  declined,  not  through 
disaffection  or  timidity.  A  nobler  feeling  possessed  the  heart  of 
Mr.  Hall — the  thought  that  there  were  others  that  could  fill  that 
post  as  well  as  himself,  or  better,  while  there  were  few  indeed  to 
act  in  the  cause  of  the  gospel  to  which  he  had  devoted  his  "  whole 
life." 

When  the  war  of  the  Revolution  was  ended  in  the  independence 
of  the  United  States,  Mr.  Hall  devoted  himself,  with  undivided 
energies  and  unwavering  purpose,  to  his  beloved  work,  the  gospel 
ministry.  The  effects  of  the  long  and  harassing  war  upon  the 
churches  in  the  Carolinas  were  deplorable  ;  the  regular  ordinances 
of  the  gospel  had  been  broken  up — discipline  neglected, — the 
preached  word  had  become  less  valued ;  some  congregations  mostly 
broken  up,  and  the  vices  that  ordinarily  attend  a  camp,  and  are  left 
by  war,  such  as  drinking,  card  playing,  profanity  and  the  like,  ex- 
tensively prevailed.  Though  Mr.  Hall's  congregations  were  not 
in  the  track  of  either  of  the  armies  nor  the  seat  of  war;  and 
though  he  had  exerted  himself  during  the-  war  to  sustain  religion 
and  morality  in  the  congregation  and  in  the  camp,  the  general  tone 
of  public  feeling  had  evidently  declined,  and  the  necessity  of  great 
efforts  in  the  cause  of  the  gospel  to  prevent  the  most  melancholy 
effects,  was  stirring  up  his  spirits  to  activity,  and  his  heart  to  zeal 
for  God.  His  efforts  met  the  Divine  approbation,  and  were  at- 
tended with  his  blessing,  and  resulted  in  a  revival  of  religion. 

Soon  after  the  war,  his  charge  was  greatly  blessed ;  the  atten- 
tion of  the  people  was  very  generally  turned  to  the  subject  of  re- 
ligion. The  meetings  were  characterized  by  great  solemnity  and 
stillness  ;  and  the  preaching,  for  simplicity,  earnestness  and  ten- 
derness, in  setting  forth  the  great  truths  of  the  gospel.  At  one 
communion  season,  about  eighty  persons  were  received  into  the 
church  on  the  profession  of  their  faith ;  at  a  succeeding  commu- 


328  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

nion  about  sixty  more  made  profession  and  united  with  the  church. 
This  revival  was  confined  mostly  to  the  churches  in  Iredell,  there 
being  no  account  of  much  unusual  interest  in  other  parts  of  the 
Presbytery  till  after  some  years.  In  consequence  of  the  nume- 
rous calls  upon  him  for  ministerial  labor,  and  his  own  great  anxiety 
for  the  welfare  of  his  fellow  men,  Mr.  Hall's  labors  were  inces- 
sant ;  and  under  his  continued  preaching  his  health  failed,  and 
symptoms  of  a  pulmonary  consumption  became  alarming.  By  the 
advice  of  physicians  he  was  induced  to  cease  from  his  ministerial 
labors,  and  seek  for  renewed  health  in  a  sea  voyage.  Owing  to 
head  winds,  his  voyage  from  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  to  Phila- 
delphia, was  long  and  boisterous,  and  proved,  on  that  account, 
more  advantageous.  After  attending  upon  the  meeting  of  the  Sy- 
nod of  New  York  and  Philadelphia,  he  returned  home  with  renewed 
health  and  spirits,  to  engage  in  his  ministry.  The  records  of  Sy- 
nod make  this  his  first  attendance  to  be  in  1786 ;  the  traditions 
would  place  it  somewhat  earlier.  He  was  on  the  Committee  of 
Synod,  appointed  to  prepare  a  plan  for  the  division  of  the  Synod 
in  preparation  for  the  formation  of  the  general  assembly  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church.  But  as  there  is  evidently  an  omission  in 
the  minutes  of  the  preceding  years,  his  first  attendance  might 
have  been  earlier. 

The  Synod  of  the  Carolinas  held  its  first  meeting  in  1788,  at 
Centre  Church  ;  during  the  next  year  measures  were  taken  to  re- 
lease Mr.  Hall  from  the  charge  of  Bethany  and  Concord  churches, 
which  took  effect  in  1790.  In  the  year  1793,  the  year  that  his 
amiable  successor,  Lewis  Wilson,  was  ordained  and  placed 
over  these  beloved  churches,  he  commenced  his  missionary  ex- 
cursions, under  the  direction  of  a  commission  of  Synod.  Besides 
a  great  many  short  excursions  which  he  was  in  the  habit  of  mak- 
ing in  the  counties  nearer  home,  he  performed  fourteen  long  and 
toilsome  missions,  either  under  the  direction  of  the  commission 
of  Synod,  or  by  order  and  arrangement  of  the  General  Assembly. 
His  reports  were  often  made  in  writing,  and  some  of  them  re- 
corded on  the  minutes  of  Synod.  His  mission  to  the  Natches, 
the  pioneer  of  Protestant  efforts  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  was  commenced  in  the  Fall  of  1800, 
under  a  commission  of  the  General  Assembly.  The  Synod  ap- 
pointed two  companions  for  this  mission,  which  was  expected  to 
continue  for  eight  months,  James  H.  Bowman  and  William 
Montgomery.  The  report  of  these  missionaries,  made  to  the 
Synod  of  1801,  was  received  with  a  high  degree  of  satisfaction. 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  329 

An  account  of  this  mission  was  published  by  Mr.  Hall  in  the 
newspapers  of  the  day,  and  was  read  with  great  interest,  as  being 
the  best  description  ever  given  of  that  part  of  the  southern  coun- 
try, in  which  he  had  spent  about  nine  months. 

The  extracts  from  the  records  of  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas, 
which  form  part  of  this  volume,  contain  some  of  the  more  interest- 
ing parts  of  Mr.  Hall's  reports,  especially  those  that  are  of  abiding 
interest ;  particularly  his  method  of  preparing  questions  on  the 
Confession  of  Faith,  and  instructing  the  congregations  he  visited 
on  his  mission  ;  his  account  of  his  visit  to  Lincoln  county  in  1809  ; 
and  his  report  of  a  mission  on  the  Cape  Fear  ;  and  his  visit  to 
Colin  Lindsay  and  Angus  McDermaid.  These  will  be  read  with 
great  interest  by  multitudes  now  living  ;  and  will  assist  the  general 
reader  to  a  better  understanding  of  the  revival  that  spread  over  the 
country  from  1802  to  1806,  and  onward,  the  effects  of  which  are 
distinctly  visible  throughout  the  State. 

His  exertions  in  the  cause  of  Domestic  missions  are  worthy  of 
all  praise,  and  have  conferred  upon  the  State  and  the  southern  coun- 
try lasting  obligations. 

He  attended  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assembly  in  Philadel- 
phia sixteen  times,  as  delegate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  and 
was  once  the  moderator  of  that  venerable  body.  Travelling  by 
private  conveyance,  in  his  chair  (or  sulky),  he  embraced  the  op- 
portunity afforded  for  preaching  on  his  journey,  and  made  his  trips 
to  Philadelphia  domestic  missions  :  and  by  taking  different  routes 
much  enlarged  his  acquaintance  and  the  sphere  of  his  usefulness. 
In  one  of  these  excursions,  being  driven  into  a  house  by  a  storm 
of  rain,  and  detained  all  night,  he  kindly  and  courteously  intro- 
duced the  subject  of  religion.  The  family  had  hitherto  been 
utterly  careless  on  the  subject  of  their  salvation  ;  but  that  night 
they  were  deeply  convicted  of  their  sinfulness.  The  servant  of 
God  passed  on,  unaware,  perhaps,  of  having  accomplished  anything 
for  his  Lord.  A  Methodist  minister  who  became  acquainted  with 
the  circumstance  related  to  a  friend  of  Dr.  Hall  that  the  impres- 
sions made  that  night  were  never  effaced  ;  that  shortly  three  of  the 
members  professed  faith  in  Christ ;  and  one  after  another  the 
whole  family  entered  the  visible  church. 

In  a  sermon,  while  urging  his  congregation  to  religious  conver- 
sation, he  mentioned  the  circumstance,  that  a  private  conversation 
he  had  with  two  young  men  before  he  became  a  preacher,  resulted 
in  their  hopeful  conversion  ;  and  they  both  became  ministers  of 
the  gospel.     These  instances  are  mentioned  as  showing  the  effect 


330  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

produced  by  his  kind  and  affectionate  manner  in  introducing  a 
faithful  conversation  on  the  subject  of  religion. 

One  sphere  of  usefulness  in  which  Mr.  Hall  excelled,  was  the 
education  of  young  men.  He  must  have  commenced  the  work  of 
superintendence,  for  he  did  not  confine  himself  to  the  teaching  of 
a  classical  school,  very  soon  after  his  licensure,  as  the  certificate 
given  to  Humphrey  Hunter,  afterwards  a  minister  of  the  gospel, 
says  he  had  been  a  student  at  Clio's  Nursery  from  August,  1778, 
to  October,  1779.  The  institution  was  located  on  Snow  Creek,  in 
a  pious  neighborhood,  that  formed  an  important  part  of  Bethany 
church  and  congregation.  This  he  superintended  with  care,  and 
through  its  agency  brought  out  many  useful  men,  that  might  not 
otherwise  have  obtained  an  education, — as  the  Rev.  Richard  King, 
of  Tennessee",  esteemed  the  man  of  the  finest  powers  of  mind 
ever  trained  in  Western  Carolina, — Dr.  Waddel,  of  South  Caro- 
lina, and  Judges  Laurie,  Harris,  and  Smith. 

To  remedy  the  inconvenience  felt  by  those  unable  to  meet  the 
expense  of  attending  a  northern  college,  and  yet  wishing  to  acquire 
a  knowledge  of  the  sciences,  he  purchased  a  philosophical  appa- 
ratus, and  opened  an  "  Academy  of  the  Sciences,"  at  his  own 
house,  himself  being  the  sole  professor.  This  institution  was 
continued  for  many  years ;  and,  previously  to  the  establishment  of 
the  University,  was  considered  the  best  scientific  school  in  the 
State.  A  large  number  of  eminent  men  received  their  scientific 
education  there  ;  besides  a  number  of  ministers,  who  studied  theo- 
logy under  his  direction, whose  names  will  be  hereafter  given,  there 
were  Andrew  Pickens,  Israel  Pickens,  late  Governor  of  Alabama, 
Hon.  Joseph  Pearson,  and  Judge  Williams,  of  Tennessee. 

To  promote  useful  knowledge  in  his  congregation,  he  formed  a 
class  of  young  people  to  meet  him  every  Saturday,  to  take  lessons 
in  grammar.  To  remedy  the  want  of  books,  which  threatened 
the  ruin  of  his  plans,  he  wrote  out  a  system  of  grammar,  and  had 
manuscript  copies  circulated  among  the  members  of  the  class. 
He  afterwards  published  through  the  press,  and  circulated  it  ex- 
tensively. 

He  founded  a  circulating  library  in  his  congregation,  which 
became  eminently  useful  ;  and  encouraged  debating  societies 
among  the  young  people,  sometimes  attending,  and  often  availing 
himself  of  the  opportunity  of  laying  before  them  some  written 
communication  on  important  subjects. 

His  efforts  in  leading  young  men  into  the  ministry,  were  emi- 
nently successful.     His  character  for  talents  and  piety,  and  public 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  331 

spirit ;  his  soundness  as  a  Theologian  ;  his  great  facility  in  im- 
parting instruction  ;  and  the  pleasure  he  took  in  the  employment ; 
and  his  well  selected  library,  caused  his  house  to  become  a  school 
of  the  prophets,  from  which  came  out  some  of  the  best  ministers 
in  our  southern  Zion.  The  following  catalogue  will  show  the  im- 
portance of  this  school  of  divinity  :  Rev.  Messrs.  Robert  Hall  (his 
brother),  James  McEwin  (his  brother-in-law),  Daniel  Thatcher, 
Ga. ;  Francis  Cummins,  D.D.,  Ga. ;  John  Brown,  D.D.,  Ga. ; 
James  Blythe,  D.D.,  Ken. ;  J.  M.  Wilson,  D.D.,  Rocky  River  ; 
George  McWhorter,  S.C. ;  John  Robinson,  D.D.,  Poplar  Tent ;  J. 
Andrews,  Ohio  ;  James  Adams,  S.C. ;  Thomas  Price,  S.C. ;  James 
Mcllheney,  S.C. ;  Win.  Barr,  D.D.  ;  Andrew  Flinn,  D.D.,  Charles-, 
ton  ;  John  Bowman,  Tenn. ;  James  Bowman,  Tenn. ;  Thomas  J. 
Hall,  Tenn. ;  Joseph  D.  Kilpatrick,  N.C. ;  and  Thomas  Neely, 
S.C.  These  have  now,  with  scarce  an  exception,  passed  away 
from  the  earthly  vineyard  ;  but  their  memorial  is  with  us  ;  they 
have  rested  from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do* follow  them. 
Their  history  will  show  that  Iredell  county  has  been  the  nursery 
of  good  men,  and  the  birth-place  of  the  most  laborious  ministers  of 
the  last  generations. 

The  views  Mr.  Hall  had  of  the  proper  preparation  for  the  labors 
of  the  gospel  ministry,  and  his  own  experience,  so  eminently  suc- 
cessful, of  the  advantage  of  training  the  young  for  the  work,  led 
him  to  desire  a  seminar)*"  for  the  purpose.  The  motion  in  the 
Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  church  to  found  a  Theological 
school,  met  his  hearty  approbation  and  co-operation.  He  greatly 
desired  a  more  southern  location  than  Princeton,  with  the  hope  that 
one  would  unite  all  the  South  ;  but  when  it  was  determined  that 
Princeton  should  be  the  place,  he  united  in  giving  it  existence 
and  stability,  by  giving  to  its  funds,  by  donations  to  the  library, 
by  riding  extensively  as  an  agent  in  its  favor,  and  by  remember- 
ing it  in  his  will  with  a  bequest  of  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of 
valuable  land  in  Tennessee. 

He  was  zealous  and  active  in  the  circulation  of  the  Bible.  As 
a  delegate,  he  was  present  at  the  formation  of  the  American  Bible 
Society,  and  became  a  life  member  by  the  contribution  of  thirty 
dollars.  On  the  formation  of  the  North  Carolina  State  Bible 
Society,  he  was  elected  the  first  president,  and  in  his  attendance 
on  its  meetings  gave  an  example  of  his  punctuality  in  attending 
upon  appointments,  and  in  meeting  with  those  ecclesiastical  bodies 
with  which  he  was  connected.  His  residence  was  about  one 
hundred  and  fifty-six  miles  from  Raleigh.     On  a  certain  occasion, 


332  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

setting  off  to  attend  an  annual  meeting,  a  violent  storm  of  rain 
and  snow  came  on,  the  first  day  of  his  journey,  and  continued  all  the 
way  through.  A  legal  friendmeeting  him  on  the  way,  in  surprise 
he  accosted  the  venerable  minister  :  "  Where  are  you  going,  in 
this  storm  ?"  "  To  "attend  the  Bible  Society  in  Raleigh." 
"  Where  were  you  yesterday  ?"  "  I  travelled  about  thirty  miles  ; 
where  were  you  ?"  "  0,  I  was  lying  by  ;  it  was  too  bad  to 
travel."  On  his  arrival  in  Raleigh,  he  found  himself  the  only 
delegate  present.  The  inclemency  of  the  weather  rendered  it 
"  too  bad  to  travel." 

He  attended  all  the  meetings  of  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas 
from  1788  to  1812,  but  one,  and  was  the  last  moderator;  the 
Synod  of  North  Carolina  was  then  constituted,  and  on  its  sessions 
he  attended  with  punctuality,  till  age  and  infirmity  took  away  his 
ability  to  travel.  His  attendance  on  Presbyterial  meetings  was 
equally  exact ;  his  various  missions  being  so  assigned,  as,  with 
the  exception  of  his  trip  to  the  Natches,  to  permit  his  meeting 
with  his  brethren  in  the  judicatories. 

In  his  reproofs  he  was  generally  very  kind  and  tender,  and 
spake  as  one  entreating  or  instructing ;  sometimes  his  boldness 
and  decision  were  felt  in  the  tone  of  authority,  and  severity  of 
manner,  in  which  he  addressed  bold  transgressors.  To  them  he 
seemed  rough  and  unreasonable,  and  sometimes  angry,  especially 
when  his  indignation  was  roused.  During  one  of  his  missions 
to  the  eastern  part  of  the  State,  he  accepted  a  very  polite  invita- 
tion to  tea,  after  divine  service  on  the  Sjibbath.  The  residence 
of  his  host  was  on  an  eminence,  commanding  a  beautiful  view  of 
the  low  grounds,  and  of  the  river  that  wound  its  way  towards  the 
ocean.  After  a  little  time  he  observed  a  boat  sailing  along  the 
stream,  and  soon  after,  that  the  men  were  hauling  a  seine.  Turn- 
ning  to  the  gentleman,  he  inquires,  "  Whose  seine  is  that  ?"  "  It 
is  mine,  sir."  "Is  this  the  way  you  keep  the  Sabbath?"  "  Oh, 
it  is  the  fishing  season ;  I  will  give  God  Almighty  another  day  in 
a  slacker  time  of  the  year."  Mr.  Hall,  rising  and  taking  his  hat, 
"  I  cannot  consent  to  remain  under  the  roof  of  a  man  that  treats 
his  God  in  that  way,"  with  a  bow,  left  the  house,  and  returned  to 
his  former  lodgings. 

Ardor,  tenderness  of  affection,  and  strong  sympathy,  character- 
ized the  preaching  of  this  successful  minister  of  God.  His  man- 
ner was,  in  part,  his  natural  temperament  speaking  ont,  and  in 
part  the  fruit  of  his  own  distressing  experience.  An  occasional 
depression  of  spirits  was  the  vice  of  his  constitution  ;  and  a  deep 


REV.    JAMES     HALL.  333 

conviction  of  the  sinfulness  of  sin  and  his  own  worthlessncss,  the 
characteristic  of  his  religious  experience.  The  influence  of  both 
these  was  occasionally  felt  at  the  same  time,  and  produced  a  state 
of  distress  and  degree  of  unhappiness  not  to  be  described.  About 
the  time  of  his  licensure,  a  season  of  mental  depression  and  heart- 
sickness  so  overwhelmed  him,  that  for  the  space  of  about  a  year, 
he  considered  it  to  be  little  short  of  blasphemy,  and  a  direct  insult 
to  God,  for  such  a  polluted,  undone,  hopeless  wretch  as  himself  to 
offer  to  preach  the  gospel.  These  seasons  occasionally  returned 
upon  him  throughout  his  whole  life,  so  full  of  activity  and  useful- 
ness. Once  at  least,  he  was  oppressed  when  on  a  mission ;  his 
friend  Mathews,  that  served  with  him  in  the  war,  found  him  in 
Kentucky,  so  overwhelmed  with  melancholy  and  a  sense  of  his 
sinfulness,  that  in  compassion  he  took  him  under  his  charge  and 
conducted  him  to  his  home.  Even  in  his  old  age  he  felt  the  gath- 
ering of  the  cold  clouds  that  shut  out  his  Maker's  face  and  hid  the 
Saviour's  beauty.  At  one  time  he  intermitted  his  pastoral  labors 
about  a  year  and  a  half.  Spiritual  darkness  overhung  his  mind  ; 
he  was  always  complaining  that  "God  had  hid  his  face  from  him ;" 
his  own  sinfulness  was  ever  present  with  him,  and  he  could  not 
get  a  view  of  Christ  as  the  Lord  his  righteousness  ;  and  he  refused 
to  lead  the  devotions  of  his  people.  He  attended  the  house  of  God 
and  joined  in  the  worship  carried  on  by  the  elders,  and  could  occa- 
sionally be  induced  to  take  a  part  by  leading  in  prayer  or  giving  a 
short  exhortation  from  the  clerk's  stand  in  front  and  below  the 
pulpit,  esteeming  himself  too  great  a  wretch  to  preach  from  the 
sacred  desk,  or  even  to  enter  it. 

"  Won't  you  preach  for  us  to-day  ?"  said  the  eldership,  one  Sab- 
bath, when,  in  this  state  of  mind,  he  appeared  at  Bethany  among 
a  large  assembly  of  people.  "  Oh  no — no — no — it  is  impossible  !" 
One  of  the  elders  of  Fourth  Creek,  William  Stevenson,  was 
later  than  usual  that  morning.  Advanced  in  life,  a  convert  under 
the  preaching  of  Whitefield,  grown  to  full  manhood  in  piety,  the 
congregation  loved  the  elder,  and  from  his  small  stature,  and  fer- 
vency in  prayer,  called  him  "  little  Gabriel" — they  thought  he 
approached  nearer  the  throne  than  anybody  else  in  the  congregation. 
The  other  elders  waited  for  him.  When  Mr.  Stevenson  under- 
stood that  Mr.  Hall  was  still  in  darkness  and  distress,  and  could 
not  preach,  he  was  deeply  affected.  Entering  the  seat  appropriated 
to  the  elders,  before  the  pulpit,  after  a  psalm  was  sung,  he  com- 
menced a  strain  of  humble  petition  and  adoration  that  touched  all 
hearts.     His  first  petition  was — "  0  Lord,  cast  the  deaf  and  dumb 


334  SKETCHES    OF     NORTH    CAROLINA. 

devil  out  of  our  pastor ;  this  deaf  devil,  that  will  not  allow  him  to 
hear  the  promises  of  the  gospel ;  and  this  dumb  devil,  that  will 
not  suffer  him  to  preach  as  he  has  heretofore  done."  At  the  close 
of  the  prayer,  the  venerable  form  of  the  beloved  pastor  was  seen 
rising  and  making  its  way  to  the  long  unvisited  pulpit.  "  I  will 
try  to  preach  to-day,"  said  Mr.  Hall  to  Mr.  Stevenson,  The  sermon 
that  followed  gave  evidence  that  the  prayer  of  little  Gabriel  had 
been  heard  and  answered, — for  the  deaf  and  dumb  devil  was  cast 
out. 

The  abiding  recollection  of  the  wormwood  and  the  gall,  which 
he  had  so  often  drunk  to  the  very  dregs  of  bitterness,  made  him 
sympathize  with  the  afflicted,  particularly  those  walking  in  dark- 
ness.    He  would  go  far  to  see  them  :  and  the  interviews  were  the 
pouring  out  the  sympathies  of  a  wounded  heart  that  had  been  healed 
by  the  balm  of  Gilead.     He  was  tender  to  his  fellow  men  seeking 
salvation  :  but  his  heart  melted  for  those  bowed  down  under  a  sense 
of  the  hiding  of  the  Saviour's  face.  He  scarce  ever  preached  without 
exhibiting  deep  emotion,  and  was  often  in  tears.     One  of  the  most 
eloquent  and  impressive  sermons  his  people  recollect  to  have  heard 
from  him,  was  drawn  from  him  under  the  following  circumstances. 
Mr.  Charles  Story,  a  gentleman  of  irreproachable  character  and 
piety,  came  up  from  Black  River,  S.  C,  with  his  family,  to  spend  the 
summer  in  Iredell  county,  on  account  of  his  low  state  of  health. 
His  spirits  were  greatly  depressed,  and  his  mind  became  clouded 
with  doubts  about  his  spiritual  state.     At  length  his  hope  in  Christ 
forsook  him  ; — his  sins  appeared  always  before  him,  and  the  light 
of  God's  countenance  was  hidden.     Mr.  Hall  became  deeply  in- 
terested at  once, — he  had  gone  down  into  the  dark  vale,  and  had 
himself  sunk  in  the  mire.     His  kind  and  tender  conversation,  full 
of  Christian  sympathy,  failing  to  relieve  the  sufferer's  mind,  he 
prepared  a  "sermon  for  the  occasion,  from  the  words  of  Isaiah  1., 
10  :   "  Who  is  among  you  that  feareth  the  Lord,  that  obeyeth  the 
voice  of  his  servant,  that  walketh  in  darkness  and  hath  no  light  ? 
Let  him  trust  in  the  name  of  the  Lord,  and  stay  upon  his  God." 
From  these  words  he  described,  with  great  clearness,  the  child  of 
God  walking  in  darkness  ;  then  pointed  out  the  foundation  of  his 
hope,  Jesus  Christ,  the  Chief  Corner-Stone  ;    and  brought  forth 
the  glorious  promises  and  consolations  of  the  gospel.     His  own 
heart  was  deeply  affected  :  he  preached  in  tears  ;  the  people  were 
moved  and  melted  ;  the  place  became  a  Bochin.     The  gentleman 
listened, — was  enlightened, — was  relieved,  and  went  away  from  the 
sermon  with  a  glad  heart,  as  his  minister  had  done  from  the  prayers 


REV.  JAMES    HALL.  335 

of  "  little  Gabriel," — his  feet  were  placed  upon  a  rock,  and  a  new 
song  was  put  into  his  mouth,  even  praise  to  his  God.  The  hearers 
of  that  sermon  could  never  forget  the  impression.  The  solemnity, 
the  tenderness,  the  deep  emotion  of  their  pastor,  from  the  first 
naming  his  text,  the  wonderful  description  of  the  saint  in  darkness, 
were  all  treasured  in  their  memories  and  in  their  hearts. 

Nassau  Hall,  his  Alma  Mater,  honored  him  with  the  degree  of 
Doctor  of  Divinity  ;  and  the  University  of  North  Carolina  repeated 
the  compliment.  And  if  activity  as  a  pastor,  enterprise  as  a  mis- 
sionary,  success  as  a  guide  of  youth  in  their  literary  course,  and 
ability  in  training  young  men  for  the  ministry,  are  qualifications  for 
that  honorary  degree,  the  honors  were  in  this  case  well  conferred. 

His  reply  to  the  degree  from  the  University  of  North  Carolina 
is  characteristic  of  the  honesty  of  the  man,  and  the  tone  of  public 
feeling,  at  that  time,  in  regard  to  that  institution.  He  made  a 
donation  of  sixty  volumes  to  the  Library,  out  of  his  own  collection, 
which,  though  not  large,  was  valuable.  The  copy  of  Turretine 
that  stood  upon  the  Doctor's  shelf  is  now  in  the  library  of  a  pastor 
in  the  mountains  of  Virginia.  How  he  ever  found  time  to  read 
enough  to  be  able  to  lead  young  men  in  the  study  of  Theology  can 
be  accounted  for  only  on  the  ground  of  his  having  no  family,  and 
resolutely  devoting  all  his  time  to  build  the  church  of  the  Living 
God. 

In  July,  1819,  Dr.  Hall  returned  from  the  Anniversary  of  the 
American  Bible  Society,  and  the  sessions  of  the  General  Assem- 
bly, for  the  last  time  ;  and  soon  after  his  return  delivered  his  last 
sermon.  The  last  seven  years  of  his  life  were  years  of  weakness, 
languor  and  depression ;  and  not  unfrequently  spiritual  sorrows 
gathered  around  his  soul  as  he  reflected  upon  his  own  sinfulness 
and  helplessness.  Confident  that  God  had  used  him  as  the  instru- 
ment for  the  conversion  of  others,  he  often  feared  about- his  own, 
lest  having  preached  to  others,  he  himself  should  be  a  castaway. 

His  body  was  entombed  in  Bethany  church  graveyard,  by  the 
side  of  his  co-laborer  and  friend,  Lewis  Feuilleteau  Wilson.  On 
a  white  marble  head-stone  near  the  gate  is  the  following  inscrip- 
tion : — 


336  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Beneath  this  stone  are  deposited 

the  remains  of 

The  Rev.  JAMES  HALL,  D.D., 

who  departed  this  life 

July  25th,  1826, 

in  the  82d  year  of  his  age. 

For  12  years  he  sustained  the  office  of  Pastor 

to  the  united  congregation  of  Fourth 
Creek,  Concord,  and  Bethany  ;  and  for  26  years 
to  that  of  Bethany  alone.     He  was  a  man  of 
science  as  well  as  piety  ;  and  for  his  ex- 
tensive labors  in  the  cause  of  his  Divine 
Master,  as  well  as  for  his  great  usefulness 
as  a  preceptor  of  youth,  his  memory  is 
embalmed  in  the  hearts  of  his  people. 

The  pains  of  death  are  passed, 

Labor  and  sorrow  cease, 
And  life's  long  warfare  closed  at  last, 

His  soul  is  found  in  peace. 

Soldier  of  Christ,  well  done,  « 

Praise  be  thy  new  employ, 
And  while  eternal  ages  run, 

Rest  in  thy  Saviour's  joy. 

Thus  rest,  in  this  retired  spot,  the  remains  of  the  man  whose 
charge  was  visited  with  the  first  revival  of  religion,  in  Concord 
Presbytery,  after  the  American  Revolution. 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  337 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


REV.    LEWIS   FEUILLETEAU   WILSON. 


The  Rev.  Mr.  James  Hall,  upon  giving  up  his  pastoral  charge  of 
Concord  and  Fourth  Creek  in  Iredell  county,  in  the  year  1790,  was, 
in  the  course  of  two  or  three  years,  succeeded  by  the  man  whom  on 
account  of  his  private  friendship,  and  his  estimation  of  his  talents 
for  usefulness,  he  would  have  chosen  of  all  others,  recently  entered 
upon  the  office  of  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  Lewis  Feuilleteau 
Wilson.  A  foreigner  by  birth,  Mr.  Wilson  both  loved  and  served 
the  country  of  his  adoption ;  and  was  beloved  and  honored  by  all 
that  were  favored  by  his  acquaintance,  in  his  office  as  a  physician, 
in  which  capacity  he  served  in  the  Revolutionary  war,  and  the  more 
serious  one  of  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  in  which  he  closed  his  days. 

On  his  mother's  side  of  French  extract,  on  his  father's  of  English, 
he  was  born  on  St.  Christopher's,  one  of  the  West  India  Islands, 
June,  1753.  His  father,  a  wealthy  planter,  preferring  an  education 
in  England  for  his  son,  to  the  indulgence  and  desultory  life  of 
planters'  children  in  the  islands,  embarked  his  two  sons,  Lewis,  then 
about  four  years  of  age,  and  a  brother  two  years  older,  for  London, 
to  be  put  to  school  under  the  care  of  his  connexions.  The  brother 
died  on  the  voyage ;  and  Lewis,  an  entire  stranger,  commenced  his 
education  in  his  tender  years.  Some  time  after  his  father  removed 
to  London ;  and  the  son  was  continued  at  the  grammar  school  until 
he  completed  his  seventeenth  year.  At  that  time  an  uncle  of  his 
emigrated  to  America  and  settled  in  New  Jersey ;  young  Wilson 
accompanied  him,  and  soon  after  his  arrival  entered  upon  the  course 
of  studies  at  Nassau  Hall,  in  Princeton. 

In  his  literary  course  Mr.  WTilson  was  successful,  and  received  the 
Bachelor's  degree  with  honor.  In  his  religious  course  he  was  kindly 
crossed  by  the  Providence  and  Spirit  of  God,  and  from  being  an 
opposer  was  changed  to  an  humble,  yet  firm  believer  in  Jesus.  In 
the  year  1772  a  very  general  revival  of  religion  took  place  in  the 
college ;  and  so  great  was  its  influence,  that  he  and  thirteen  of  his 
class,  after  they  had  completed  their  college  course,  turned  their 
attention  to  the  study  of  theology  in  preparation  for  the  gospel 

22 


338  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ministry,  professing  that  their  first  impressions  of  grace  were  during 
that  refreshing  with  which  the  institution  was  favored. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  revival  and  for  a  time  during  its 
progress,  young  Wilson  was  violently  opposed  to  all  religious  things. 
So  embittered  were  his  feelings  that  he  would  not  permit  any  one 
to  converse  with  him  on  the  subject  of  religion  at  all,  either  as  a 
general  subject  or  matter  of  personal  experience.  He  had  been 
educated  in  the  Episcopal  forms  of  worship  ;  was  a  regular  attend- 
ant on  divine  service,  and  correct  in  his  external  conduct ;  and  did 
not  wish  to  be  troubled  about  his  experience  by  Presbyterian  minis- 
ters and  teachers.  Probably  at  that  time  he  would  not  have  listened 
to  any  person.  One  of  the  tutors  made  an  effort  to  call  his  attention 
to  the  concerns  of  his  soul ;  entering  his  room,  he  began  to  converse 
on  the  subject  of  religion.      Mr.  Wilson  interrupted  him,  "  Mr. 

,  I  am  engaged  in  my  studies, — this  is  my  room, — there  is  the 

door." 

Buoyed  up  by  a  spirit  of  pharisaic  righteousness  he  went  on,  for 
a  time,  pouring  contempt  on  the  work  of  God,  till  that  same  spirit, 
that  arrested  a  persecuting  Saul,  arrested  him.  One  evening  while 
Dr.  Spencer  was  preaching  in  the  College  Hall  he  was  seized  with 
deep  convictions,  and  felt  that  these  things  which  he  had  hitherto 
received  as  enthusiasm,  and  little  better  than  madness,  were  realities 
of  amazing  importance.  His  distress  of  mind  continued  for  some 
time  before  he  could  see  his  way  of  being  saved  through  the  Lord 
Christ.  When  Jesus  was  manifested  as  "  the  way,  and  the  truth, 
and  the  life,"  he  embraced  him  with  full  purpose  of  heart;  and  from 
having  been  an  opposer,  like  Saul,  he  became  a  full  and  hearty  friend 
that  said,  Lord,  what  wilt  thou  have  me  to  do ;  and  when  he  found 
his  Lord's  will  he  went  and  did  it.  The  memory  of  his  decided 
opposition  to  the  gospel  and  a  revival  of  religion  led  him  often  to 
confession  and  deep  humiliation,  throughout  his  whole  ministerial 
life. 

The  Rev.  John  Makemie  Wilson,  of  Rocky  River,  tells  us  in  the 
sermon  he  preached  on  occasion  of  the  death  of  Rev.  L.  F.  Wilson, 
that  during  the  revival  of  religion  that  spread  over  Carolina,  in  the 
south  and  west,  in  the  year  1802  and  the  following  years,  the  sub- 
ject of  this  short  sketch  was  often  heard  to  address  opposers  to  that 
work  in  the  following  words  : — "  My  dear  friends,  I  pity  you,  be- 
cause I  once  stood  on  the  ground  on  which  you  now  stand,  and 
know  something  of  your  disposition  towards  the  present  work.  I 
ihave  felt  the  disposition  of  a  very  devil  towards  a  work  similar  to 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  339 

the  present.     Therefore  I  feel  for  you,  and  pity  you  with  all  my 
heart." 

During  the  remainder  of  his  college  life,  his  zeal  to  promote 
the  cause  he  once  opposed,  was  tempered  with  great  humility, 
that  essential  grace  of  a  Christian.  Having  been  brought  up  in 
high  life,  and  with  the  expectations  of  a  son  of  a  wealthy  citizen 
of  London,  he  bowed  to  the  deserving,  however  lowly  in  their 
sphere.  His  companions  and  friends  were  chosen  without  respect 
to  wealth  or  poverty,  but  according  to  his  estimation  of  their 
moral  and  spiritual  excellence.  His  desire  for  excellence  was 
totally  dissevered  from  that  thirst  for  applause,  which  so  often 
stimulates  to  great  efforts.  He  was  content  with  having  merited 
approbation.  This  trait  in  his  character  was  manifested  in  the 
course  he  pursued  respecting  a  college  honor,  so  coveted  by 
students,  particularly  when  about  to  be  graduated.  At  the  last 
examination  of  his  class,  when  the  members  stood  for  their  diplo- 
mas, five  honorary  orations  were  voted  by  the  trustees,  to  be  de- 
livered from  the  public  stage  on  the  day  of  commencement,  by 
that  number  of  the  best  scholars,  as  orators.  Mr.  Wilson  ob- 
tained the  second  honor  by  vote  of  the  trustees.  Whether  he 
knew  of  some  one  of  his  class  who  would  be  mortified  in  being 
left  out  of  the  list  of  honors,  or  whether  he  acted  solely  from  the 
humility  and  modesty  in  his  own  breast,  we  cannot  now  say ;  but 
when  information  was  given  him  by  the  president,  in  the  presence 
of  the  board  and  of  the  class,  he  arose  and  said  :  "  Sir,  I  feel 
myself  under  obligation  to  the  trustees  for  their  compliment  to  me  ; 
it  is  well  enough  to  deserve  such  an  oration,  but  I  do  not  choose 
to  accept  it,  and  desire  that  it  may  be  given  to  another."  He  did 
not  appear  on  the  stage  at  commencement,  according  to  his  re- 
quest the  honor  had  been  conferred  upon  another,  more  desirous  of 
the  eminence.  This  trait  of  character  was  manifested  by  him 
through  life ;  always  deserving  a  high  rank  in  the  estimation  of 
his  brethren,  he  never  thrust  himself  forward  to  public  notice. 
His  bravery  was  equal  to  his  modesty  ;  and  his  worth  was  com- 
pounded of  both.  He  sought  no  honors  ;  he  shunned  no  dangers 
in  the  path  of  duty. 

After  receiving  his  Bachelor's  degree,  in  September,  1773,  he 
visited  London,  designing  to  take  orders  in  the  Episcopal  church, 
if,  upon  examination  and  inquiry,  he  could  see  a  reasonable  pros- 
pect of  usefulness  and  satisfaction.  His  father  was  a  man  of  suf- 
ficient wealth  and  influence  to  obtain  for  him  what  is  called  "  a 
good  living"  in  the  city,  or  some  pleasant  place  in  the  country,  and 


340  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

finding  that  his  son  wished  to  engage  in  the  ministry  of  the  gospel, 
pressed  him  earnestly  to  take  orders  in  the  national  church.  The 
son,  upon  consideration  and  observation,  became  convinced  that 
he  could  not  be  satisfied  in  such  a  connection  as  his  father  wished, 
and  he  himself  had  at  first  designed  ;  and  frankly  communicated  the 
result  of  his  deliberations.  The  father  upbraided  him  with  be- 
coming a  Presbyterian  in  America,  and  threatened  to  disinherit 
him  unless  he  complied  with  his  expressed  wishes.  The  son  con- 
tinued firm  in  his  determination  not  to  enter  the  national  church. 
The  father  was  resolute  in  withholding  from  him  all  assistance  in 
making  preparations  to  enter  the  ministry  in  any  other  church. 
The  son  was  resolved  to  enter  another  church,  and  was  left 
by  his  father  penniless.  Having  obtained  possession  of  a  bequest 
of  300  guineas,  made  to  him  by  an  aunt,  whose  death  occurred  a 
little  before  this  event,  and  furnishing  himself  with  a  wardrobe  and 
a  small  library,  he  set  sail  for  America,  after  a  residence  in  England 
of  about  five  months. 

Landing  at  Philadelphia,  he  returned  to  Princeton,  and  com- 
menced the  study  of  Divinity  under  the  care  of  Dr.  Witherspoon, 
in  the  spring  of  1774.  Soon  after  this  he  was  chosen  tutor  in  the 
college,  and  performed  the  duties  of  that  station  about  a  year. 
New  Jersey  being  overrun  by  the  British  army,  the  college  was 
broken  up.  A  class-mate  of  Mr.  Wilson,  who  had  been  a  fellow- 
tutor,  having  determined  to  enter  upon  the  study  of  medicine  with 
an  uncle  in  Philadelphia,  prevailed  upon  him  to  commence  the 
study  in  his  company.  It  is  said  that  the  principal  reason  for  this 
change  of  professional  studies  was  the  perplexity  of  mind  that 
came  upon  him  in  consequence  of  a  careful  perusal  of  church 
history.  What  this  perplexity  was,  or  whether  it  was  anything 
more  than  discouragement  in  view  of  his  own  native  sinfulness, 
and  the  errors  into  which  frail  men  had  precipitated  themselves,  is 
not  now  known. 

After  pursuing  his  medical  studies  about  two  years  he  embarked 
in  the  cause  of  American  Independence,  and  entered  the  conti- 
nental service  as  surgeon.  In  this  capacity  he  continued  a  number 
of  years  ;  part  of  the  time  in  the  land  service  and  part  of  the  time 
on  board  of  vessels  of  war.  In  the  year  1781  he  was  informed  by 
letter  of  the  death  of  his  father,  and  of  a  legacy  in  his  will  of  £500 
sterling.  This  communication  caused  him  another  voyage  to 
England.  Having  obtained  his  legacy,  he  returned  to  America 
and  settled  in  Princeton  in  his  profession,  as  practising  physician  ; 
the  superior  religious  advantages  of  the  place  in  connection  with  its 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  341 

seclusion,  presenting  powerful  inducements  to  him  to  make  it  his 
permanent  residence. 

As  soon  as  he  became  permanently  located,  he  secluded  himself 
very  much  from  intercourse  with  the  world  till  he  had  carefully 
perused  the  whole  both  of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments.  He  was 
heard  to  say  that  when  he  looked  through  the  last  six  or  seven 
years  of  his  life,  he  seemed  to  himself  like  one  who  had  been  in  a 
dream.  During  the  whole  of  his  connexion  with  the  army,  and  in- 
deed throughout  the  whole  cpurse  of  his  trials  and  changes  from 
the  time  of  his  first  landing  in  America  to  his  settlement  as  a  phy- 
sician in  Princeton,  it  was  observed  by  the  pious  and  discerning, 
who  had  been  acquainted  with  him  in  all  his  tossings  and  trials, 
that  his  deportment  as  a  Christian  was  more  than  blameless, — it 
was  exemplary.  His  attachment  to  the  pious  was  seen  in  his  un- 
disguised selection  of  his  companions, — treating  all  with  the  respect 
becoming  their  station  in  life,  he  accounted  the  righteous  the  ex- 
cellent of  the  earth,  and  was  peculiarly  attached  to  those  who 
exhibited  a  pious  temper  and  a  consistent  Christian  life.  He 
might  have  said  to  such  people  as  Ruth  did  to  Naomi,  "  Intreat  me 
not  to  leave  thee,  for  whither  thou  goest  I  will  go  ;  and  where  thou 
lodgest  I  will  lodge  ;  thy  people  shall  be  my  people  ;  and  thy  God 
my  God." 

The  Rev.  James  Hall,  who  had  contracted  a  strong  friendship 
for  Mr.  Wilson  while  a  member  of  college,  being  well  acquainted 
with  his  acquirements  and  the  estimation  in  which  he  was  held  by 
the  students  and  faculty  of  college,  visited  Princeton  in  the  year 
1786,  and  succeeded  in  pursuading  his  friend  to  remove  to  Iredell 
county,  North  Carolina.  Both  had  been  diligent  students  at  Nas- 
sau Hall ;  both  professing  Christians ;  both  had  served  in  the 
armies  of  the  Revolution  and  come  out  honorably ;  both  held  to 
their  faith  in  Christ  through  all  the  besetments  of  the  camp  and  the 
temptations  incident  to  war,  and  each  exercised  an  influence  over 
the  other,  particularly  in  the  latter  years  of  Mr.  Wilson's  life. 

After  the  revival  in  Mr.  Hall's  congregation,  and  the  consequent 
feeble  health  of  that  laborious  and  self-denied  man,  he  made  a  sea 
voyage,  and  attended  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  of  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  in  the  spring  of  1786.  In  the  August  following,  his 
friend  Dr.  Wilson  made  a  journey  to  Iredell,  North  Carolina,  and 
finally  made  his  residence  in  the  sphere  of  that  good  man's  labors, 
and  there  continued  until  his  death,  a  period  of  some  eighteen 
years. 

Soon  after  his  settlement  in  Iredell,  Mr.  Wilson  became  con- 


342  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

nected  in  marriage  with  Miss  Margaret  Hall,  the  daughter  of  Mr. 
Hugh  Hall,  and  a  near  connexion  of  the  friend  by  whose  persua- 
sion he  had  emigrated  to  North  Carolina.  This  marriage  was  a 
happy  one  to  both  parties,  till  death  made  the  separation  ;  and  in 
the  desolation  of  widowhood  was  reflected  upon  by  the  bereaved 
wife  as  matter  of  thanksgiving  and  consolation.  As  a  physician 
and  as  a  preacher,  he  was  the  good  husband,  and  kind  father,  and 
faithful  friend. 

Although  his  practice  of  medicine  was  very  acceptable  to  the 
people,  evincing  great  ability  and  skill,  he  continued  in  that  profes- 
sion but  about  four  years  after  his  removal  to  North  Carolina.  He 
had  never  been  fully  satisfied  with  himself  from  the  time  he  had 
laid  aside  the  study  of  theology  ;  a  secret  uneasiness  preyed  upon 
his  mind,  lest  he  should  be  found  to  have  run  from  his  duty,  and 
he  often  wished  himself  in  another  sphere  of  life, — that  to  which  he 
had  once  devoted  himself,  but  which  afterwards  he  had  declined. 
But  every  year  seemed  to  remove  him  farther  and  farther  from  the 
object  of  his  convictions  ;  and  the  cares  of  a  family  and  the  calls 
of  his  profession  were  heaping  up  difficulties  and  impediments, 
and  rendering  an  entrance  on  the  ministry  a  difficult,  if  not  an  im- 
possible thing. 

In  this  state  of  his  mind,  some  of  the  pious  people  began  to  ex- 
press a  desire  that  so  well  qualified  a  person  as  Dr.  Wilson 
should  be  taken  from  the  practice  of  medicine  and  put  into  the 
pulpit ;  and  from  healing  the  maladies  of  the  people  and  curing 
their  bodily  infirmities,  should  preach  the  unsearchable  riches  of 
Christ  for  the  salvation  of  their  souls. 

Some  of  the  leading  ministers  in  Orange  Presbytery  also  added 
their  voice,  amongst  which  the  most  feeble  was  not  that  of  Mr. 
Hall,  that  he  should  come  and  take  part  of  the  ministry  with  them. 
Induced  by  this  external  call  and  his  internal  convictions,  he  offered 
himself  to  the  Orange  Presbytery  a  candidate  for  the  gospel  min- 
istry ;  and  having  passed  his  various  trials  with  much  approbation, 
he  was  licensed  to  preach  in  the  year  1791. 

It  soon  appeared  that  his  friends  had  not  been  mistaken  in  their 
anticipations  of  his  usefulness  as  a  minister.  His  preaching  was 
so  acceptable,  that  various  respectable  vacancies  made  exertions  to 
obtain  his  services  as  their  pastor.  His  inclinations  were  in  favor  of 
Fourth  Creek  and  Concord,  which  were  united  in  a  call  presented 
to  Presbytery,  and  in  June,  1793,  he  was  ordained  and  installed 
their  pastor,  and  became  the  successor  and  near  neighbor  of  his 
friend  Mr.  Hall,  whose  desires  were  accomplished  in  seeing  Mr. 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  343 

Wilson  in  the  ministry,  and  the  churches  of  his  former  charge 
supplied  with  an  able  and  devoted  preacher. 

His  connexion  with  these  two  churches  continued  about  ten 
years  with  uninterrupted  harmony. 

The  revival  which  began,  in  the  year  1802,  to  be  felt  in  Iredell 
county,  was  hailed  with  joy  by  Mr.  Wilson.  He,  with  some  of 
his  flock,  had  been  engaged  in  social  prayer  to  God  for  an  outpour- 
ing of  his  spirit,  for  some  time  before  the  meeting  in  Randolph,  on 
which  the  ministers  of  Concord  Presbytery  attended  with  so  much 
interest.  Mr.  Wilson  believed  that  a  work  of  grace  was  going  on 
by  the  agency  of  the  Holy  Spirit  using  weak  means,  and  he  re- 
joiced in  it,  notwithstanding  those  bodily  exercises  which  then  ac- 
companied it,  and  afterwards  became  so  obnoxious  to  all  the  judi- 
cious. He  encouraged  the  protracted  meetings  that  followed  in 
such  quick  succession  in  the  upper  country  of  Carolina,  in  which 
the  people  encamped  upon  the  ground  near  the  place  of  preaching  ; 
and  remained  for  some  days  altogether  absorbed  in  the  subject  of 
religion.  There  is  no  evidence  that  he  encouraged  any  disorder, 
or  pursued  any  improper  course,  or  used  any  hurtful  measures  ; 
he  desired  the  salvation  of  his  people,  and  preferred  the  excitement, 
with  all  the  objectionable  exercises,  to  that  sleep  of  death  which 
brooded  over  the  multitude. 

The  exercises  were  so  objectionable  to  many  of  the  people  of 
Fourth  Creek,  that  they  became  opposed  to  the  camp  meetings, 
and  doubted  the  genuineness  of  the  whole  work.  With  this  was 
connected  a  discussion  on  the  qualifications  for  admission  to  the 
sealing  ordinances.  Mr.  Wilson,  of  Rocky  River,  says,  "  it  was 
not  unlike  that  which  took  place  between  President  Edwards  and 
the  people  of  Northampton."  That,  it  is  well  known,  was  on  the 
following  grounds  :  On  the  side  of  Mr.  Edwards  it  was  contended 
that  a  credible  profession  of  experimental  religion  was  the  only 
proper  qualification  for  admission  to  Baptism  and  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per. On  the  other  side,  that  baptism  in  infancy  and  a  blameless 
life  were  all  that  could  be  required  by  the  church  or  its  officers. 
In  the  case  of  Mr.  Wilson  and  Fourth  Creek  congregation,  the 
discussion  probably  was,  for  we  have  no  detailed  account,  whether 
that  kind  of  experience  given  by  the  converts  at  these  protracted 
meetings,  was  the  proper  experience  for  admission  to  the  privileges 
of  the  church  ;  and  if  the  proper,  was  it  the  only  proper  experience, 
in  kind  for  such  admission  ?  The  termination  of  the  discussion  in 
Fourth  Creek,  like  that  in  Northampton,  was  the  dissolution  of  the 
pastoral  connection.     There  is  no  evidence,  however,  of  the  exist- 


344  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ence  of  any  bitterness  of  feeling  towards  Mr.  Wilson,  by  the  party 
in  Fourth  Creek  that  was  opposed  to  his  views,  while  it  is  known 
that  many  of  the  church  agreed  with  him  in  opinion,  and  were  his 
firm  friends  till  death.  It  is  more  than  probable  that  Mr.  Wilson 
might  have  retained  the  charge  of  the  congregation,  notwithstand- 
ing the  disagreement,  if  his  own  feelings  would  have  permitted 
him  to  preside  over  a  divided  session.  He  chose  to  withdraw  from 
Fourth  Creek,  and  confine  his  labors  for  the  remainder  of  his  life 
to  the  church  of  Concord. 

This  disagreement  and  consequent  dissolution  of  the  pastoral 
connection,  had  an  unhappy  influence  upon  the  church  and  congre- 
gation of  Fourth  Creek.  For  many  years  they  were  without  a 
regular  pastor.  Neither  of  the  two  parties  was  able  to  prevail  in 
the  congregation,  and  neither  was  willing  to  make  a  decisive 
movement ;  consequently  no  call  was  made  out  for  a  pastor  for 
twenty  years.  Mr.  William  Stevenson,  a  warm-hearted,  pious 
man,  led  one  party,  and  maintained  the  opinions  of  Mr.  Wilson, 
preferring  the  revival  with  all  the  objectionable  exercises  ;  and 
John  McLelland,  cool  and  determined  in  his  course,  would  rather 
give  up  the  excitement  on  religion  than  countenance  in  any  way 
the  attending  objectionable  circumstances,  and  led  the  other  party. 
The  tradition  in  the  congregation  has  been,  that  the  great  body  of 
the  people  would  have  been  easily  satisfied  could  these  elders  have 
agreed  to  drop  the  discussion.  After  having  had  temporary  sup- 
plies for  nearly  twenty  years,  the  Rev.  Daniel  Gould,  from  Not- 
tingham, New  Hampshire,  visited  them,  and  in  1823  was  installed 
pastor.  An  active  man,  he  was  of  great  advantage  to  the  congre- 
gation ;  was  one  of  the  first  movers  of  the  general  supply  of  the 
Bible  throughout  the  United  States,  and  did  much  for  the  dissemi- 
nation of  religious  knowledge  in  Iredell  county.  His  useful  life 
was  ended  in  1834,  April  29th,  in  his  forty-fifth  year;  and  his 
body  interred  in  the  Fourth  Creek  burying-ground.  After  some 
years  of  temporary  supply,  the  Rev.  E.  F.  Rockwell  was  installed 
in  1844.  During  the  vacancy  that  occurred  from  the  time  Mr. 
Gould  ceased  to  preach  in  Fourth  Creek  in  1828,  six  years  before 
his  death,  the  Rev.  Robert  Caldwell,  a  grandson  of  Dr.  Caldwell, 
of  Guilford,  after  preaching  as  a  licentiate,  was  ordained  and 
installed  in  1831  ;  and  dying  in  1832,  was  buried  in  the  same 
yard  with  Mr.  Gould. 

The  separation  of  Mr.  Wilson  from  Fourth  Creek  took  place  in 
1803,  and  in  1804  he  was  removed  from  all  earthly  scenes  and  la- 
bors to  the  spiritual  Mount  Zion.     The  Rev.  John  M.  Wilson,  of 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  345 

Rocky  River,  preached  his  funeral  sermon  from  Revelations  xiv., 
13:  "And  I  heard  a  voice  from  heaven  saying  unto  me,  write, 
blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord  from  henceforth  ;  yea, 
saith  the  spirit,  that  they  may  rest  from  their  labors,  and  their 
works  do  follow  them."  In  the  appendix  to  the  printed  sermon, 
which  is  the  authority  for  much  that  has  been  already  stated,  he 
says  :  "  Mr.  Wilson  was  a  most  extraordinary  and  useful  compa- 
nion. His  natural  temper  lively  and  cheerful,  his  education  finished, 
his  judgment  penetrating,  his  acquaintance  with  the  world  large, 
qualified  him  at  once  to  entertain  and  edify  those  that  were  conver- 
sant with  him." 

"  Freed  from  a  useless  round  of  ceremony  and  unshackled  by 
modes  and  forms,  it  was  impossible  not  to  be  easy  in  his  company. 
Our  deceased  friend,  as  a  divine,  certainly  stood  in  a  point  of 
view  highly  respectable.  He  was  not  a  wandering  star,  running 
off  into  eternal  eccentricities.  With  respect  to  his  system  of  faith, 
it  was  that  which  you  might  have  expected  from  his  profession.  It 
was  not  like  Nebuchadnezzar's  image,  composed  of  heterogene- 
ous materials  which  cannot  coalesce.  He  was  firmly  Calvinistic. 
In  this  respect  he  believed,  and  many  will  believe  with  him,  '  that 
he  went  his  way  by  the  footsteps  of  the  flock,  and  fed  his  kids 
beside  the  shepherd's  tent.' 

"  In  the  arrangement  of  his  public  discourses  he  was  clear  and 
judicious  ;  his  gesture  natural,  indicating  deep  engagement  of 
heart ;  his  style  elevated  and  nervous  ;  his  eloquence  flowing  and 
persuasive.  The  language  of  Mr.  Wilson's  precepts  and  practice 
was  one.  By  a  life  and  conversation  conformed  to  the  gospel,  he 
silentty  exhorted  those  to  whom  he  ministered,  as  the  great  Apos- 
tle of  the  Gentiles  did  the  churches — '  My  little  children,  be  ye 
followers  of  me,  even  as  I  am  a  follower  of  Christ.' " 

"  From  a  life  and  conversation  thus  upright,  holy  writ  advises 
us  to  expect  a  peaceful  latter  end.  This  expectation,  in  the  pre- 
sent case,  was  not  disappointed.  He  had  been  under  declining 
circumstances  of  health  for  several  months  before  he  took  his  last 
illness,  but  had  recovered  considerably,  which  gave  hopes  that 
he  was  about  to  be  restored  to  his  usefulness  in  the  church.  But 
the  will  of  heaven  was  to  remove  him.  His  last  illness,  if  the 
writer  mistakes  not,  was  a  fever  of  the  inflammatory  kind. 
Shortly  after  he  was  taken  ill,  he  mentioned  to  a  friend  who 
called  to  see  him,  that  he  knew  he  never  would  survive  it,  and 
added  that  he  had  two  reasons  for  saying  so  :  '  1st.  Because  I  have 
felt  myself  more  dead  to  the  world  for  about  two  months  past, 


346  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

than  I  ever  did  before.     2d.  I  feel   symptoms  now  that  I  never 
felt  before  in  any  sickness.' 

"  On  the  Friday  and  Saturday  week  before  he  died,  he  fre- 
quently spoke  of  that  uninterrupted  peace  and  joy  that  he  found 
in  believing.  About  this  time  the  hiccough  became  so  violent 
that  he  could  scarcely  utter  a  single  sentence.  On  Sabbath 
morning  he  called  his  little  sons  to  him,  and  said :  '  Retire  into 
the  other  room  and  read  your  books,  and  may  the  Lord  God  of 
your  father  bless  you.'  On  Monday  morning,  being  asked  whether 
he  enjoyed  the  comforts  of  religion,  he  answered,  yes.  Being 
told  that  it  was  probable  he  would  never  rise  from  that  bed,  he 
replied,  '  I  am  willing  to  die,  if  God  is  willing.  Death  has  been 
no  terror  to  me  for  five  years  past.' 

"  On  Sabbath  morning,  December  9th,  immediately  preceding 
his  death,  the  hiccough  materially  subsided,  so  that  he  was  able 
to  connect  sentences,  and  give  regular  addresses.  Early  in  the 
morning  he  called  to  his  bedside  a  number  of  his  friends,  who 
were  waiting  with  him,  and  gave  an  address  to  every  one,  accord- 
ing to  the  opinion  he  had  formed  of  their  religious  standing.  To 
a  young  man  who  asked  him  how  he  did,  he  replied,  '  I  am 
almost  in  heaven.'  To  a  young  woman,  '  Beware  of  this  world, 
or  it  will  ruin  you  ;  it  has  ruined  thousands.'  After  this,  sitting 
up  in  bed,  supported  with  one  behind  him,  he  called  for  a  drink, 
after  which  he  collected  into  his  countenance  a  cheerful  air,  and 
proceeded  as  follows  :  '  My  friends,  thirty  years  have  elapsed 
since  I  first  discovered  the  vanity  of  this  world,  and  ever  since  it 
has  been  growing  less  and  less  in  my  esteem  ;  and  now  every 
worldly  attachment  is  broken  up,  and  I  am  ready  to  take  my 
flight  at  a  moment's  warning.  The  reason  why  I  left  the  coun- 
try where  I  then  resided  was,  lest  I  should  be  carried  away  with 
the  worldly  spirit  so  prevalent  in  that  part  (London),  and  you,  my 
friends,  are  my  witnesses,  that  since  I  came  among  you,  I  have 
uniformly  acted  on  the  same  principles,  and  been  influenced  by 
the  same  views.' 

"  Early  on  this  day  the  Rev.  Dr.  Hall  made  him  a  visit,  and 
upon  asking  him  how  he  was,  he  replied, — '  I  am  going  to  heaven.' 
About  1 1  o'clock  a  member  of  the  session  came  to  him  and  said, 
'  Farewell,  I  am  going  to  the  session-house.'  To  whom  he  replied, 
'  Carry  this  my  last  message  to  the  people  of  Concord, — tell  them 
that  I  am  on  the  borders  of  the  eternal  world,  and  my  wish  is  that 
God  may  enable  them  to  improve  every  dispensation  of  his  provi- 
dence that  has  any  tendency  to  promote  their  eternal  salvation.' 


REV.    LEWIS    FEUILLETEAU    WILSON.  347 

"  About  12  o'clock  he  requested  those  who  were  present  to  join 
in  singing,  himself  naming  the  hymn  that  he  wished  to  sing.  At 
an  interval  of  this  exercise  he  broke  out  into  thanksgiving  and 
praise  as  follows  :  '  O  God,  I  thank  thee  for  the  supports  thou  hast 
granted  me  under  my  present  affliction,  and  through  all  the  stages 
of  my  past  life.  I  praise  thee  for  another  Sabbath  ;  and  for  the 
present  communication  of  thy  spirit  and  grace  which  thou  hast 
granted  me  this  day  above  all  the  Sabbaths  I  have  ever  enjoyed. 

0  Lord,  thou  hast  supported  me  ;  and  thou  promised  to  support 
me  ;  and  thou  wilt  support  me  ;  and  poor  as  I  am,  and  sinful  as  I 
am,  and  worthless  as  I  am,  I  shall  sit  down  with  Abiaham,  and 
Isaac,  and  Jacob,  in  the  kingdom  of  my  heavenly  Father.' 

"  He  was  much  engaged  in  exhortation  through  the  whole  of 
this  day.  In  the  evening  he  desired  all  to  leave  the  room  except 
his  wife  and  children.  This  being  done,  he  gave  to  each  of  them 
his  dying  charge.  The  same  evening  he  said  to  the  physician  who 
attended  him,  '  Doctor,  you  can  do  me  no  good  ;  I  am  just  going 
into  the  eternal  world  ;  and  were  it  not  for  the  comforts  of  religion, 

1  believe  I  should  be  completely  on  the  rack.  The  most  painful 
hours  are  the  most  happy  hours  ;  I  never  read  or  heard  of  any- 
thing that  will  support  a  man  in  a  dying  hour  but  the  gospel  of 
Christ.' 

"  On  Monday,  the  10th,  he  was  very  weak,  not  able  to  utter 
more  than  two  or  three  words  at  a  time  ;  but  still  manifested  his 
good  will  to  every  person  who  came  in,  by  reaching  out  his  hand. 
A  very  aged  man  coming  to  the  bedside,  he  took  him  by  the  hand 
and  said,  '  You  are  come  to  see  a  dying  man.' 

"Tuesday,  11th.  This  day  ended  the  life  of  Mr.  Wilson. 
Through  the  former  part  of  it  he  was  very  uneasy.  About  3 
o'clock  in  the  evening  he  appeared  to  be  dying  ;  but  recovering  a 
little,  he  cast  an  affectionate  look  at  his  two  little  sons,  who  stood 
by  the  bedside,  and  reached  out  his  hand,  and  took  each  of  them 
by  their  hands,  but  said  nothing.  Shortly  after,  Mrs.  Wilson  sit- 
ting by  the  bedside,  he  took  her  by  the  hand,  and  with  a  pleasant 
countenance  said,  '  You  and  I  will  yet  rejoice  together  in  this  great 
salvation.'  A  few  minutes  after  he  whispered  to  her  to  turn  him  ; 
which  being  done,  he  lay  easy  a  little  while.  As  he  lay,  his  lips 
were  observed  to  be  constantly  moving.  Some  who  stood  near 
him  say  that  he  whispered,  Holy,  holy.  He  then  appeared  to 
compose  himself  for  his  last  sleep  by  laying  his  left  hand  under 
his  cheek,  and  bringing  his  right  hand  down  by  his  side.     This 


348  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

being  done,  he  breathed  out  his  last,  December  11th,  1804,  in  the 
52d  year  of  his  age,  without  a  struggle  or  a  groan." 

He  was  buried  near  Bethany  Church,  a  few  paces  from  the  gate 
of  the  grave-yard,  in  a  place  chosen  by  his  wife's  relations.  His 
friend  Hall  was,  many  years  after,  buried  a  few  paces  from  his 
side.     On  a  white  marble  head-stone  is  the  following  inscription  ; 

Sacred 
To  the  memory  of  the  late 
Rev.  Lewis  F.  WiLson,  who 
departed  this  life  Dec'r  11th,  1304, 
in  the  52d  year  of  his  age. 
Through  almost  the  whole 
of  his  ministerial  course  with 
ability  and  faithfulness,  he  sus- 
tained the  pastoral  relation 
over  the  united  congregations 
of  Fourth  Creek  and  Concord. 

Preserve,  0  venerable  pile, 

Inviolate  thy  precious  trust; 
To  thy  cold  arms  the  Christian  Church, 

Weeping,  commits  her  precious  dust. 

He  left  a  widow  and  seven  children,  three  sons,  and  four  daugh- 
ters. All  his  children  grew  up  to  mature  years,  and  all,  by  the 
time  they  reached  their  twenty-first  year,  were  united  to  the  church 
on  a  credible  profession  of  religion.  Two  of  the  sons  became 
ministers  of  the  gospel,  one  of  whom  was  the  pioneer  of  settled 
ministers  in  Texas,  and  is  now  laboring  there  (1845),  and  the  other 
resides  in  Virginia.  "  I  doubt  not,"  says  one  of  the  children, 
"  that  the  instruction  which  we  received  on  Sabbath  after  returning 
from  church,  was  the  means  of  bringing  us  thus  early  to  devote 
our  lives  to  the  service  of  God." 

Hall  had  the  longest  race,  and  produced  the  greatest  immediate 
effect  on  his  fellow-men  ;  Wilson  had  the  most  triumphant  end, 
and  being  dead,  yet  speaks  in  his  descendants.  Both  undoubtedly 
fought  the  good  fight,  and  won  the  prize,  and  in  the  last  great  day 
will  wear  the  conqueror's  crown. 


THYATIRA    AND    HER  MINISTERS.  349 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


THYATIRA    AND    HER    MINISTERS. 


The  settlements  which  composed  the  congregation  of  Thyatira  in 
Rowan  county,  were  made  about  the  time  those  on  the  Catawba 
began  to  cluster  together.  But  of  the  various  missionaries  that 
visited  the  Presbyterian  families  between  the  Yadkin  and  Ca- 
tawba, sent  from  Pennsylvania  and  New  Jersey,  the  memoranda 
or  journal  of  but  one  has  yet  been  found,  that  of  Hugh  Mc- 
Aden. 

He  crossed  the  Yadkin  on  Tuesday,  Sept.  12th,  1755,  after 
having  spent  some  days  in  the  congregation  at  the  Ford,  making 
his  home  part  of  the  time  at  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Henry  Sloan  ;  and 
passing  on  about  ten  miles,  tarried  with  a  Mr.  James  Aleson  ;  and 
the  next  day,  passing  on  three  or  four  miles,  he  tarried  with  a  Mr. 
Brandon,  a  countryman  of  his.  On  Sabbath,  the  14th,  he  says  he 
rode  to  the  meeting-house  and  preached,  but  does  not  tell  the  name 
of  the  house  or  its  location.  On  Monday,  he  went  to  John 
Luckey's,  five  or  six  miles.  Wednesday  was  a  day  appointed  for 
a  fast,  on  account  of  the  great  drought,  and  the  Indian  War. 
After  visiting  and  praying  with  a  man,  who  had  been  dangerously 
injured  by  a  fall  from  his  horse,  he  went  home  with  a  Mr.  John 
Andrew,  of  whose  engagedness  in  religion  he  speaks  warmly. 
On  Thursday,  he  rode  with  Mr.  Andrew  to  Justice  Carruth's, 
about  eight  miles.  On  the  Sabbath  (the  21st),  he  preached  in  a 
meeting-house  about  a  mile  off,  and  returned  to  Mr.  Carruth's. 
The  next  day,  went  to  David  Templeton's,  about  five  miles,  and 
on  his  way  came  up  with  a  company  of  people  that  had  left  the 
Cow  Pasture  in  Virginia  on  account  of  the  depredations  of  the 
Indians,  supposed  to  be  a  part  of  Mr.  Craighead's  congregation, 
while  he  preached  in  that  State.  He  rode  home,  four  miles 
further,  with  William  Denney,  who  gave  him  a  pair  of  shoes 
made  of  his  own  manufactured  leather,  by  William  Woodsides. 
On  Tuesday,  he  rode  to  Mr.  Templeton's  again,  and  remained 
with  him,  and  preached  on  Wednesday  in  the  meeting-house.  He 
went  to  Captain  Osborn's,  about  six  miles,  with  whom  he  tarried 
till  Sabbath,  and  then  preached  in  the  new  meeting-house,  about 


350  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

three  miles  off.  After  preaching  again  on  Wednesday,  he  rode 
home  with  William  Reese,  about  seven  miles.  On  Sabbath,  he 
preached  at  Captain  Lewis's,  going  from  Mr.  Reese's  ;  and  on  the 
Wednesday  following,  preached  there  again  on  a  fast  day,  accord- 
ing to  the  appointment  of  the  governor.  From  this  neighborhood, 
he  proceeded  to  Rocky  River. 

On  his  return,  in  November,  he  called  again  at  Capt.  Lewis's, 
and  says,  it  was  in  the  Welsh  settlement ;  thence  he  returned  to 
William  Reese's,  made  a  visit  to  Coddle  Creek,  and  passing, 
called  on  David  Templeton,  Justice  Carruth,  and  John  Andrew. 
With  the  last  he  tarried  some  days,  and  went  with  him  to  "  Ca- 
they's  meeting-house,"  the  last  Sabbath  of  December.  "  Here," 
he  says,  "  a  number  of  the  people  were  exceeding  urgent  upon 
me,  and  very  desirous  to  join  with  Rocky  River  in  a  call  for  me 
to  come  and  settle  among  them." 

This  matter  finally  fell  through,  on  account  of  the  division  of 
sentiment  in  the  congregation  respecting  the  kind  of  minister 
they  should  have,  whether  of  what  was  called  the  Old  Side,  or  the 
New  Side,  in  the  division  of  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia. 

From  these  memoranda,  from  the  short  journal  of  Mr.  M'Aden, 
it  appears  that  he  went  through  neighborhoods  that  were  accus- 
tomed to  hear  preaching  from  missionaries,  which  have  since  been 
parts  of  Thyatira  and  Centre,  and  more  lately  of  Prospect,  Back 
Creek,  and  Unity,  and  pei'haps  Franklin.  Some  of  these  had 
meeting-houses,  and  some  were  dependent  on  private  dwellings 
for  their  worship  of  Almighty  God.  Each  settlement  was,  very 
properly,  anxious  to  have  preaching  convenient ;  and  being  on 
different  sides  in  the  division  of  the  Synod,  there  was  at  the  time 
of  M'Aden's  visit  some  difficulty  from  the  numbers  and  clashing 
interests  of  these  smaller  societies. 

The  visit  of  Messrs.  Spencer  and  M'Whorter  in  1764  and 
1765,  was  successful  in  composing  these  differences  in  a  great 
measure,  and  Cathey's  meeting-house,  under  the  name  of  Thya- 
tira, and  a  new  place  called  from  its  position,  Centre,  superseded 
all  other  places  in  a  strip  of  country  extending  from  the  Catawba 
to  the  Yadkin,  in  which  are  now  some  ten  regular  organized 
churches. 

Whether  Thyatira  had  a  settled  pastor  before  the  Rev.  Samuel 
E.  M'Corkle,  cannot  probably  be  now  ascertained  to  a  certainty, 
though  the  probability  is  he  was  the  first  pastor.  This  eminent 
man  became  the  minister  of  that  church  in  early  life,  and  con- 
tinued with  it  till  his  death,  a  space  of  more  than  thirty  years. 


THYATIRA    AND    HER   MINISTERS.  351 

Samuel  Eusebius  McCorkle  was  born  August  23d,  174G,  near 
Harris's  Ferry,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  His  mother  was 
sister  of  the  Rev.  Joseph  Montgomery.  At  the  age  of  four  years, 
Samuel  was  put  to  an  English  school,  and  continued  at  it,  making 
rapid  progress,  till  he  was  ten  years  of  age.  At  that  time,  his 
parents  removed  to  North  Carolina,  and  settled  in  the  western  part 
of  Rowan  county,  in  the  bounds  of  the  congregation  now  known 
as  Back  Creek,  which  was  set  off  from  Thyatira  in  the  year  1805. 
His  parents  were  pious  people,  and  constant  attendants  at  Cathey's 
meeting-house,  and  Thyatira,  when  there  was  preaching.  After 
their  son  became  the  minister,  a  gentleman,  now  living  in  Salis- 
bmy,  says  he  often  saw  the  old  gentleman,  who  was  a  ruling 
elder  in  the  church,  sitting  on  the  pulpit  stairs,  on  account  of  his 
deafness,  that  he  might  get  as  near  as  possible  to  his  son  while 
preaching.  The  remains  of  Mr.  McCorkle's  parents  were  laid 
side  by  side,  in  Thyatira  yard.  Having  enjoyed  the  rare  pleasure 
of  sitting  under  the  sound  of  the  gospel  from  the  lips  of  their  own 
son,  in  whom  they  had  unbounded  confidence,  these  worthy  peo- 
ple closed  their  earthly  career  at  an  advanced  age. 

Young  McCorkle's  proficiency  was  such,  that  for  some  time 
after  his  removal  to  Carolina,  he  was  the  instructor  of  the  younger 
children  of  the  family  ;  and  in  a  few  years  was  employed  in  a 
public  English  school.  His  tastes  and  desires  being  for  literature 
and  science  about  his  ,20th  year  he  commenced  a  classical 
course,  which  was  completed  by  his  receiving  his  degree,  Sept. 
20th,  1772.  A  part,  if  not  all,  of  his  previous  preparation,  was 
under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  David  Caldwell,  in  Guilford  county. 

From  a  fragment  of  a  diary,  commenced  in  Princeton,  the 
spring  before  his  taking  the  degree  of  A.B.,  it  appears  that  the 
revival  of  religion  in  that  College,  in  the  year  1772,  was  blessed 
to  his  soul  in  some  measure,  as  it  was  to  Lewis  Feuilleteau  Wil- 
son, and  also  to  James  Hall,  the  means  of  conversion  to  one,  and 
of  growth  in  grace  to  the  other,  both  of  whom  were  afterwards  his 
brethren  in  the  ministry  and  co-prcsbyters  in  adjoining  congrega- 
tions. 

The  diary  commences  thus  : — 

"  Saturday,  April  \\tli,  '72,  Nassau. 

"  1st.  Resolved,  This  day  to  begin  a  religious  diary,  having 
been  a  long  time  convinced  of  its  necessity  and  importance,  and 
having  oftentimes  made  faint  resolutions  to  begin  it. 

"  Resolved,  To  begin  with  a  short  record  of  my  whole  life, 


352  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

offering  up  a  prayer  to  Almighty  God  for  his  assistance  and  direc- 
tion, intending  to  devote  the  whole  day  to  religious  purposes. 

"  Very  early  in  life  I  was  impressed  with  a  sense  of  divine 
things,  and  lived  convinced  of  the  necessity  of  religion,  and  con- 
vinced that  I  was  without  it,  sometimes  careless,  sometimes  awak- 
ened, till  about  the  age  of  20,  when,  at  the  approach  of  a  sacra- 
ment, I  was  more  than  usually  concerned,  and  resolved  to  defer  it 
no  longer.  Here  I  fell  into  a  self-righteous  scheme,  and  mistook 
a  certain  flow  of  natural  affection  for  real  delight  in  religion,  while 
I  never  saw  the  enmity  of  my  own  heart,  the  odiousness  of  sin  in 
its  own  nature,  nor  the  glory  and  excellence  of  God  in  his  own 
nature  ;  only  hated  sin  because  it  exposed  me  to  misery,  and  loved 
God  because  I  hoped  he  would  make  me  happy.  Upon  this  I  fear 
thousands  are  apt  to  rest,  as  in  all  probability  I  should  have  done, 
had  it  not  pleased  God  to  send  me  to  college,  where,  the  last  year 
of  my  residence,  was  a  considerable  revival,  in  which  it  pleased 
God  to  open  my  eyes  to  see  my  awful  deception." 

"  In  the  beginning  of  this  work,  I  found  my  heart  not  properly 
engaged,  but  indifferent  and  unaffected.  I  read  the  following  re- 
mark in  Borton's  Fourfold  State  : — '  Wlien  winter  has  stripped  the 
trees  of  their  verdure,  it  is  hard  to  distinguish  those  that  have  life 
from  those  that  have  not ;  but  ivhen  the  spring  approaches,  then 
they  are  easily  known  by  their  spreading  leaves,  while  those  that 
are  dead  still  continue  the  same ;  thus  when  religion  is  in  decay, 
the  saint  can  scarcely  be  distinguished  from  the  sinner  ;  but  when 
a  time  of  refreshing  comes,  then  will  they  blossom  dnd  bring  forth 
fruit  abundantly ;'  partly  condemned  by  this  remark,  I  cast  back 
my  thoughts  upon  past  life,  and  began  to  examine  my  religion  and 
the  motives  of  my  actions.  I  found  they  were  all  selfish,  and  that 
since  the  time  when  I  thought  I  had  got  religion,  I  had  fallen 
away  even  to  the  neglect  of  secret  prayer,  which  is  quite  incon- 
sistent with  the  Christian  character." 

"  Here  I  was  further  condemned,  but  still  appeared  very  unwil- 
ling to  give  up  all  my  religion,  till  I  came  to  read  Hopkins's  State 
of  the  Unregenerate,  which  presented  such  a  picture  of  wicked- 
ness and  enmity  of  the  human  heart,  and  of  the  misery  they  are 
in  by  nature,  as  fully  convinced  me  that  I  had  never  seen  my  own 
heart,  never  had  had  any  proper  views  of  God  ;  and,  in  short, 
that  I  had  never  known  anything  about  religion.  Here  I  felt  my- 
self in  great  distress,  and  had  very  violent  exercises,  till  my  pas- 
sions subsided,  and  seemed  to  end  in  a  calm  rational  conviction. 
Here  my  views  were  all  confirmed  on  searching  the  enmity  of  my  own 


THYATIRA    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  353 

heart,  which  seemed  to  increase  and  almost  amaze  me,  that  I  had 
never  seen  it  before,  having  read  Mr.  Edwards's  sermons  on  that 
subject.  Also  in  viewing  the  dreadfulness  and  misery  of  man's 
estate,  and  the  horrid  nature  of  sin,  which  Mr.  Hopkins's  sermon 
on  the  law  seemed  to  present  in  an  aggravated  light,  I  could  never 
raise  my  thoughts  to  contemplate  the  feelings  and  glory  of  God  in 
Christ,  though  I  sometimes  attempted  it ;  my  sins  seemed  to  be 
so  aggravated,  that  they  made  me  sometimes  almost  despond  of 
God's  mercy  ;  and  what  seemed  most  of  all  terrible  to  me,  was, 
that  I  had  in  that  state  been  admitted  to  the  table  of  the  Lord." 

"  Here  I  ran  into  frequent  cavils  against  the  dispositions  of 
Providence  in  the  creation  of  man,  and  His  justice  in  condemning 
him.  I  found  a  secret  disposition  to  clear  myself  by  the  doctrine 
of  man's  inability,  till  I  read  Mr.  Smalley's  Sermons  on  that  sub- 
ject, which  seemed  to  give  me  considerable  light  in  vindicating 
the  justice  of  God.  Another  cavil  seemed  to  be  against  the  mercy 
of  God.  I  thought  I  desired  salvation,  and  found  fault  that  it  was 
not  given  me  ;  upon  this  neglect  I  received  considerable  light  by 
Mr.  Green's  Sermon,  which  showed  me  that  sinners  only  desire  a 
partial  Saviour — a  Saviour  from  misery,  but  not  a  Saviour  from 
sin.  Here  I  thought  I  gave  up  all  my  cavils,  thought  I  discovered 
the  justice  of  God,  the  mercy  of  a  Saviour,  and  the  expediency 
of  the  Gospel ;  and  thought  I  was  willing  to  renounce  all  other 
Saviours,  and  accept  Him  in  all  His  offices  and  relations.  Here- 
upon I  felt  considerable  comfort." 

Afterwards,  in  speaking  about  that  comfortable  feeling,  the 
origin  of  which  he  could  not  determine,  he  says  :  "  Being  sen- 
sible that  I  did  not  then,  nor  have  I  yet,  undergone  that  change 
which  is  from  death  unto  life."  When  he  did  experience  that 
change  is  not  on  any  record  that  can  be  obtained.  The  short  diary 
that  is  extant  goes  over  but  a  short  space  of  time.  That  lie  did 
come  to  experience  a  change  which  he  thought  was  unto  life,  is 
evident  from  his  commencing  the  course  of  theological  reading  for 
the  ministry  soon  after  he  was  graduated. 

In  his  later  life  he  drew  up  for  his  children  a  memoir  of  his 
life  ;  this  manuscript  was  mislaid  or  lost  by  a  gentleman,  a  hearer 
of  Mr.  McCorkle  in  his  younger  days,  and  a  friend  of  the  family, 
who  was  conveying  it  from  Tennessee  to  North  Carolina,  for  the 
purpose  of  affording  materials  for  a  printed  memoir.  Probably  in 
this  MS.  there  is  a  fuller  account  of  his  religious  exercises  in  ac- 
cepting the  Lord  Christ  as  his  portion. 

A  part,  at  least,  of  his  theological  reading  was  under  the  direc- 

23 


354  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

tion  of  his  maternal  uncle,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Montgomery,  of  New 
Castle  Presbytery.  His  license  to  preach  was  received  from  the 
Presbytery  of  New  York,  in  the  spring  of  1774,  as  appears  by 
report  of  Presbytery  to  Synod. 

After  his  licensure  he  was  employed  about  two  years  in  Virgi- 
nia ;  then  spending  some  time  in  the  congregation  of  Thyatira,  and 
accepting  their  call  to  become  their  pastor,  he  was  ordained  by 
Hanover  Presbytery,  August  2d,  1777  ;  and  never  left  his  charge 
till  he  was  removed  by  death. 

Some  time  previous  to  his  ordination,  July  2d,  1776,  he  was 
united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Steele,  of  Salisbury,  sister  of  the  Hon. 
John  Steele,  conspicuous  in  the  councils  of  the  State  and  nation. 
She  bore  him  ten  children,  six  of  whom  survived  him  ;  and  fifteen 
years  after  his  death,  closed  her  pious  and  useful  life. 

Of  the  mother  of  his  wife  Dr.  McCorkle  entertained  the  high- 
est estimation  ;  and  in  this  he  was  joined  by  the  public  at  large. 
A  very  pretty  anecdote  is  told  of  her,  the  event  occurring  in  the 
Revolutionary  War.     She  was  then  landlady  of  the  principal  hotel 
in  Salisbury,  and  lived  between  the  post-office  and  the  corner  now 
occupied  by  Shaffer's  tavern,  a  few  steps  north  of  the  court-house. 
While  the.  American  army,  under  General  Greene,  was  retreating 
before  Cornwallis,  in  the  memorable  and  successful  effort  to  con- 
vey to  Virginia  the  prisoners  taken  by  Morgan  in  the  battle  of  the 
Cowpens,  the  line  of  march  embraced  Salisbury.     While  Corn- 
wallis was  crossing  the  Catawba,  Greene  was  approaching  this  vil- 
lage.    Dr.  Reed,  who  had  charge  of  the  sick  and  wounded  pri- 
soners, was  sitting  in  an  apartment  of  Mrs.  Steele's  tavern,  over- 
looking the  main  street,  writing  paroles  for  such  British  officers  as 
were  unable  from  sickness  and  debility  to  proceed  farther,  when  he 
saw  the  general,  unaccompanied  by  his  aides  or  a  single  individual, 
ride  up  to  the  door.     "  How  do  you  find  yourself,  my  good  general  ?" 
eagerly  inquired  the  doctor.     "  Wretched  beyond  measure,"  replied 
Greene,  as,  exhausted,  he  slowly  dismounted  from  his  jaded  horse — 
"  without  a  friend — without  money — and  destitute  even  of  a  com- 
panion,"— his  aides  having  been  dispatched  to  different  parts  of  the 
retreating  army.     "  That  I  deny,"  said  Mrs.  Steele,  stepping  for- 
ward with  great  alacrity — "  that  I  most  particularly  deny.     In  me, 
general,  you  have  a  devoted  friend.     Money  you  shall  have  ;  and 
this  young  gentleman  will  not,  I  am  certain,  suffer  you  to  be  with- 
out a  companion,  as  soon  as  the  humane  business  about  which  he 
is  employed,  is  finished."     When  she  had  prepared  refreshments 
for  the  exhausted  general,  she  proceeded  to  fulfil  her  promise  about 


THYATIRA    AND    HER  MINISTERS.  355 

the  money ;  taking  him  to  an  adjoining  apartment,  she  laid  before 
him  her  store  of  gold  and  silver  pieces,  and  generously  filled  his 
pockets,  giving  him  at  the  same  time  many  kind  and  encouraging 
words. 

Greene's  stay  was  short ;  but  before  leaving  the  house  he  took 
from  the  walls  of  one  of  the  apartments  a  picture  of  George  III., 
which  had  come  from  England  as  a  present  from  one  of  the  mem- 
bers of  the  court  to  a  member  of  an  embassy,  a  connexion  of  Mrs. 
Steele, — and  with  a  piece  of  chalk  wrote  upon  the  back — "O 
George,  hide  thy  face  and  mourn,''''  and  replaced  it  with  the  face  to 
the  wall.  The  picture,  with  the  writing,  both  unharmed,  is  still 
preserved  by  a  grand-daughter  of  Mrs.  Steele,  a  daughter  of  Dr. 
McCorkle,  and  may  be  found  in  the  town  of  Charlotte,  at  the  post- 
office. 

The  following  obituary  notice  of  this  excellent  woman  appeared, 
in  the  Fayettcville  Gazette  of  January  3d,  1791:  "Died,  on 
Monday,  the  22cl  of  November,  in  Salisbury,  of  a  lingering  and 
painful  illness,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Steele,  relict  of  Mr.  William 
Steele,  and  mother  of  Margaret  McCorkle,  wife  of  Rev.  Samuel 
McCorkle. 

"  Her  name  and  character  are  well  known,  but  best  by  her  most 
intimate  friends.  She  was  a  devout  worshipper  of  God  ;  she  was 
distinguished  during  the  war  as  a  friend  to  her  country ;  she  twice 
supported  with  dignity  the  characters  of  wife  and  widow  ;  she  was 
a  most  tender  and  affectionate  parent ;  kind,  obliging  neighbor ; 
frugal,  industrious,  and  charitable  to  the  poor. 

"  Her  character  will  be  better  understood  by  the  following  letter, 
found  among  her  choice  papers,  since  her  death,  than  by  anything 
that  can  be  said  of  her.  The  letter  is  believed  to  be,  and  appears 
to  be,  her  own  diction  ;  and  is  published  exactly  as  it  was  found. 
It  may  be  a  useful  lesson  to  all  parents,  and  to  all  children  as  well 
as  her  own.  It  bears  date  February  5th,  1783,  when  her  other 
son  Robert  Gillespie  was  living,  and  begins  thus  : 

"  '  My  dear  children — If  I  die  before  any  of  you,  I  wish  that  this 
letter  may  fall  into  your  hands  after  I  am  dead  and  gone,  that  you 
may  see  how  much  affection  I  have  for  you,  and  that  what  I  have 
often  said  while  alive  may  be  remembered  by  you  when  I  am  in 
eternity. 

"  'If  the  Almighty  would  suffer  me  to  return  to  talk  with  you,  I 
think  now  I  should  take  a  pleasure  to  do  it  every  day  :  if  this  can- 
not be  allowed  me,  I  think  it  would  be  some  satisfaction  to  see 
you,  especially  when  you  are  reading  this  letter,  which  I  leave  you 


356  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

as  a  legacy,  to  see  what  effect  it  will  have  on  you,  and  whether  it 
will  make  you  think  of  what  I  have  often  told  you. 

"  'I  have  many  a  time  told  you  to  remember  your  Maker,  and 
ask  him  to  guide  you ;  it  is  a  good  old  saying — they  are  well 
guarded  whom  He  guides,  and  he  leaves  them  that  don't  ask  him, 
in  their  own  ways.  I  want  you  to  keep  out  of  bad  company, — it 
has  ruined  many  young  people.  I  want  you  to  keep  company  with 
sober,  good  people,  and  learn  their  ways, — to  keep  the  Sab- 
bath, to  be  charitable  to  the  poor,  to  be  industrious  and  frugal,  just 
to  all  men,  and  above  all,  to  love  one  another. 

"  '  Believe  me,  my  children,  if  anything  could  disturb  me  in  the 
grave,  it  would  be  to  know  that  you  did  not  live  as  brother  and 
sister  ought  to  live  :  nothing  could  be  worse,  except  to  know  that 
you  would  not  follow  me  to  heaven.  Oh,  my  dear  children,  I  have 
had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  sorrow  in  raising  you  !  If  I  should 
feel  as  I  do  now,  I  could  never  endure  to  see  any  of  you  without 
an  interest  in  Jesus,  at  the  great  day,  and  forced  away,  never  to 
meet  again.  Parting  here  with  your  parents  you  know  had  almost 
taken  my  life,  when  I  had  hope  to  see  them  again  ;  but  I  am  now 
sure  I  could  not  live  to  see  any  of  you  cursed  by  your  Maker,  and 
driven  away  to  dwell  with  the  Devil  and  his  angels." 

"  '  While  I  lived,  you  know  that  it  was  my  great  desire  to  have 
you  all  around  me  and  near  me  here  ;  but  my  great  desire  has 
been  to  have  you  with  me  in  the  world  to  come.  Believe  me, 
nothing  could  make  me  so  happy  as  to  have  my  three  poor  dear 
children  there  ;  yes,  and  your  children,  and  all  your  connexions.  I 
would  wish  to  take  you  all  to  heaven.  Then,  think  of  the  vanity 
of  this  world, — think  of  Jesus  the  Saviour, — death, — -judgment, 
and  eternity ;  and  don't  forget  the  living  and  dying  desire  of  your 
most  affectionate  mother  till  death,  and  after  death. 

"'Elizabeth  Steele.' 

"  Folded  in  the  foregoing  letter  was  also  found,  in  her  own 
handwriting,  the  following  prayer,  which  must  please  every  pious 
mind  : 

"  '  Oh  Lord,  my  God,  thou  great  Three-One  !  I  give  myself  to 
thee  this  day,  to  be  thine,  to  be  guided  by  thee,  and  not  by  an- 
other :  and  I  desire  to  take  God  for  my  God, — Jesus  Christ  to  be 
my  Saviour, — the  Holy  Ghost  to  be  my  sanctifier  and  leader. 
Lord,  thou  hast  promised  that  all  that  will  come  unto  thee  thou 
wilt  in  nowise  cast  out.  All  I  beg,  is  in  the  name  and  for  the  sake 
of  Jesus  Christ,  my  Lord. 

"  '  To  this  I  set  my  hand,  "  '  Elizabeth  Steele.' 


THYATIRA    AND    HER   MINISTERS.  357 

"The  date  of  the  above  was  either  not  affixed,  or  was  torn 
from  the  paper.  It  cannot  be  disagreeable  to  the  serious  mind  to 
add,  that  she  was  remarkably  fond  of  the  following  hymn,  and  left 
it  in  her  Bible,  where  it  was  found  since  her  death,  in  the  hand- 
writing of  her  grand-daughter,  who  had  transcribed  it  for  her  ■ 

"  '  The  hour  of  my  departure's  come, 
I  hear  a  voice  that  calls  me  home  ; 
At  last,  0  Lord,  let  trouble  cease, 
And  let  thy  servant  die  in  peace, 
The  race  appointed  I  have  run, 
The  combat  o'er,  the  prize  is  won, 
And  now  my  witness  is  on  high, 
And  now  my  record  's  in  the  sky. 
Not  in  mine  innocence  I  trust, 
I  bow  before  thee  in  the  dust, 
And  through  my  Saviour's  blood  alone 
I  hope  for  mercy  at  thy  throne. 
I  come  !   I  come  !   at  thy  command, 
I  yield  my  spirit  to  thy  hand; 
Stretch  forth  thy  everlasting  arms, 
And  shield  me  in  these  last  alarms.' 

"  It  would  be  a  severe  and  ill-natured  reflection  on  the  religious 
taste  of  the  present  age  to  be  making  apologies  for  publishing  the 
above  memoirs  ;  and,  therefore,  no  apology  shall  be  made.  It  is 
a  debt  due  to  an  amiable  character,  and  may  not  be  without  its  use 
to  the  public. 

["  The  above  is  published  at  the  request  of  the  Rev.  Samuel  E. 
M' Corkier] 

About  the  year  1785,  Dr.  M'Corkle  commenced  a  classical 
school  at  his  house,  which  stood  on  the  great  road  from  Salisbury 
to  Statesville,  in  an  eligible  situation,  with  the  avenue  leading  to  it, 
so  common  in  the  western  part  of  North  Carolina,  at  a  moderate 
distance  from  the  meeting-house,  which  is  about  nine  miles  west 
of  Salisbury.  In  connection  with  his  classical  school  was  a  de- 
partment for  preparing  school  teachers.  Poor  and  pious  young 
men  were  taught  free  of  expense  for  tuition,  and  were  also  assisted 
by  him  to  books  necessary  for  their  instruction.  If  young  men  of 
good  talents  were  wild  or  not  studious,  his  rule  was  to  talk  with 
them  in  private,  and  if  the  desired  reformation  did  not  take  place, 
to  avoid  any  exposure,  he  would  write  to  their  parents  or  guardi- 
ans to  withdraw  them.  And  if  he,  upon  mature  deliberation, 
judged  the  children  committed  Xo  his  charge,  to  be  below  medio- 
crity, in  point  of  talents,  lie  invariably  discouraged  their  being 
trained   to   a  classical  course.     On   account  of  these  principles 


358  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

which  he  carried  into  action,  he  sent  out  a  less  number  of  classical 
students,  but  a  greater  amount  of  piety  and  talents. 

The  first  class,  that  was  graduated  at  the  State  University  at 
Chapel  Hill,  consisted  of  seven  scholars  ;  six  of  these  had  been 
pupils  of  Mr.  McCorkle.  His  students  were,  in  after  life,  found 
on  the  Bench,  in  the  chair  of  State,  and  forty-Jive  of  them  in  the 
pulpit.  The  number  of  ministers  is  given  on  the  authority  of  Mrs. 
McCorkle,  who  survived  her  husband  about  fifteen  years. 

It  appears  from  the  North  Carolina  Journal  that  at  a  meeting 
of  the  board  of  trustees  of  the  North  Carolina  University,  Dec. 
8th,  1795,  the  board,  after  resolving  that  the  state  of  the  funds 
did  not  permit  the  choice  of  a  president,  and  that  his  duties  must 
be  fulfilled  by  the  first  professor,  made  choice  of  the  Rev.  Samuel 
E.  McCorkle,  Professor  of  Moral  and  Political  Philosophy,  and 
History,  and  the  Rev.  David  Kerr,  Professor  of  Languages,  and 
Charles  W.  Harris,  Professor  of  Mathematics  ;  Mr.  Delvaux,  and 
Mr.  Holmes,  tutors  in  the  preparatory  school.  On  account  of 
some  objections  made  by  General  Davie,  one  of  the  board,  which 
led  to  a  correspondence  between  him  and  the  Hon.  John  Steele, 
brother-in-law  of  Mr.  McCorkle,  and  which  were  followed  by  an 
apology,  the  appointment  was  not  accepted.  Mr.  McCorkle's 
desire  for  the  advancement  of  the  University,  in  opposition  to 
every  selfish  feeling,  led  him  to  desire  harmony  in  the  board,  in 
preference  to  the  honor  of  being  the  first  and  presiding  Professor. 
His  attachment  to  the  University  was  undoubted  and  unwaver- 
ing ;  he  made  excursions  to  raise  funds  for  its  use  ;  he  attended 
the  laying  the  corner  stone  of  the  first  building  erected  on  the 
University  grounds,  and  delivered  an  address  ;  his  pupils  com- 
posed the  first  class  of  graduates,  almost  entire,  and  he  was  on 
the  list  of  the  first  named  board  of  trustees.  His  declining  the 
office  of  first  Professor  made*way  for  the  exercise  of  talent  by 
that  successful  man,  under  whom,  by  the  blessing  of  God,  the 
university  arose  to  its  influence  and  respectability,  of  late  so 
widely  spread  by  his  successor. 

The  bounds  of  Thyatira  were,  like  all  the  other  congregations 
whose  limits  were  settled  by  Messrs.  Spencer  and  McWhorter, 
very  extensive,  embracing  many  settlements  that  had  desired 
preaching,  and  had  engaged  the  labors  of  missionaries.  This 
congregation  bordering  on  the  Yadkin  northward,  and  southwest- 
ward  on  Centre,  which  reached  the  Catawba,  westwardly  on  Fourth 
Creek  and  Bethany,  in  Iredell,  and  southwardly  on  Poplar  Tent, 
and  eastwardly  without  limits,  presented  an  abundance  of  labor 


THYATIRA    AND    HER   MINISTERS.  359 

for  a  pastor.  Third  Creek  was  soon  formed  from  the  middle 
ground  between  the  churches  in  Iredell  and  Thyatira,  and  has 
been  from  the  first  a  nourishing  congregation.  Under  the  pastoral 
labors  of  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Kilpatrick,  whose  name  appears  on  the 
roll  of  Synod  as  ordained  by  Orange  Presbytery,  1793,  it  enjoyed 
numerous  times  of  refreshing  from  on  high.  While  McCorkle 
stood  in  doubt  about  the  great  excitement  which  began  in  1801  in 
Orange,  Kilpatrick's  heart  grew  warm,  and  with  many  of  his 
people  went  to  take  part  in  the  great  meeting  in  Randolph,  the 
effect  of  which  was  great  upon  the  churches  "  beyond  the 
Yadkin."  He  found  no  difficulty  in  welcoming  the  revival  on 
account  of  the  irregularities  accompanying.  In  fact,  it  is  not  now 
easy  to  determine  whether  in  his  later  life  he  considered  "  the 
exercises"  a  necessary  part,  or  only  an  accidental  appendage  of 
the  work.  But  it  is  evident  they  never  gave  him  any  trouble. 
If  he  could  but  see  his  people  cultivating  what  he  esteemed  a 
proper  religious  feeling,  it  mattered  little  to  him  what  external 
motions  came  with  it.  Some  little  time  before  his  death,  at  a 
communion  service  in  his  congregation,  a  great  excitement  pre- 
vailed ;  and  as  cries  for  mercy  and  prayers  arose  on  all  sides  of 
the  house  during  an  interval  of  preaching,  the  old  gentleman  wit- 
nessing the  excitement  for  a  time,  turned  to  a  young  gentleman 
from  Virginia,  "  it  does  my  heart  good  to  hear  these  young  people 
pray  so." 

Two  of  his  sons  entered  the  ministry.  One,  Josiah,  a  preacher 
of  acceptable  talent,  came  to  an  early  grave  in  Fayetteville,  being 
cut  off  after  about  one  year's  service.  The  other,  Abner  W.,  died 
in  Tennessee  in  the  year  1844. 

Back  Creek  was  set  off  in  1805  as  a  separate  congregation. 
The  revival  of  1802  had  great  effect  upon  the  neighborhoods  form- 
ing this  congregation,  and  made  them  desire  a  separate  church  ca- 
pacity ;  and  times  of  refreshing  have  been  granted  them  since  in 
the  kind  providence  of  God.  Activity  in  religion  has  been  one  of 
the  characteristics  of  this  church,  which  at  its  organization  pos- 
sessed an  eldership  of  peculiar  excellence.  It  has  sent  out  some 
ministers  of  the  gospel  who  have  been  blessed  from  on  high.  One 
of  McAden's  resting-places  was  with  a  family  in  this  congregation. 

Mr.  McCorkle  preached  frequently  in  Salisbury,  but  had  no 
separate  congregation  there.  About  the  years  1803  and  1804  Dr. 
McRee  preached  in  that  place  statedly  once  a  month.  From  the 
year  1807  to  1809  the  Rev.  John  Brown  preached  here  statedly, 
and  was  principal  of  the  Academy.     He  removed  first  to  South 


360  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA.   | 

Carolina  and  then  to  Georgia,  and  there  closed  his  useful  life.  A 
memorial  of  him  belongs  properly  to  the  South  Carolina  and 
Georgia  synod.  Till  the  year  1821  the  people  of  Salisbury  had 
no  stated  Presbyterian  preacher,  having  only  the  occasional  ser- 
vices of  missionaries ;  in  that  year  a  church  was  gathered  under 
the  labors  of  Rev.  Jonathan  Freeman,  D.D.,  consisting  of  thirteen 
members,  three  of  whom  were  appointed  elders.  In  the  year 
1826  the  Rev.  Dr.  Freeman  laid  the  corner  stone  of  the  present 
Presbyterian  house  of  worship.  In  1831  the  Rev.  Thomas  Espy 
became  stated  supply  of  this  church  ;  his  health  failing,  he  gave 
up  the  charge,  and  soon  rested  from  all  his  labors. 

The  memory  of  such  a  man  as  Thomas  Espy  demands  a  more 
extended  notice  than  the  limits  of  the  present  article  will  admit ; 
a  brief  notice,  however,  will  bring  it  to  a  close.  Being  engaged 
but  a  comparatively  short  time  in  the  ministry,  he  was  blessed  of 
God  both  to  do  good,  and  to  stir  up  others  to  do  good,  in  an  unu- 
sual degree. 

Mr.  McCorkJe  was  indefatigable  in  his  efforts  to  improve  his 
flock  in  the  knowledge  of  divine  things.  Besides  his  usual  ser- 
vices of  preaching,  he  conducted  a  Bible  class  on  a  somewhat 
peculiar  plan.  In  a  note  to  a  sermon  printed  in  1792,  he  says — 
"  Here  I  beg  leave  briefly  to  suggest  to  my  brethren,  the  plan  of 
catechising  from  the  Scriptures,  as  the  platform  or  ground  of  a 
Catechism.  I  have  proceeded  from  Genesis  to  Job,  and  through 
part  of  the  four  Evangelists  ;  and  I  design,  if  God  permit,  to  pro- 
ceed on  to  the  end,  asking  questions  that  lead  to  reading  and  re- 
flection. I  have  found  it  profitable  to  myself  and  my  people,  and 
can  venture  to  say  that  as  far  as  I  have  proceeded,  there  is  not  a 
congregation  on  the  continent  better  acquainted  with  the  Scrip- 
tures." 

"  The  congregation  I  have  divided  into  a  number  of  divisions  of 
fifteen  or  sixteen  families  each,  assigning  to  each  division  a  set  of 
written  questions,  from  one  part  of  one  or  two  books,  as  they  may 
be  long  or  short,  in  each  Testament ;  catechising  in  the  morning 
from  the  Old,  in  the  afternoon  from  the  New  Testament,  and 
closing  by  calling  on  the  youth  to  repeat  the  shorter  Catechism." 

"  This  set  of  Scriptural  questions,  thus  examined,  we  pass  to 
the  next  division  of  the  congregation,  who  often  attend  as  specta- 
tors, knowing  that  they  are  next  to  be  examined  on  the  same  ques- 
tions. Thus  in  rotation  every  individual  will  be  examined  on 
every  part  of  the  Bible." 

His  daughter  says,  the  divisions  were  eight  in  number  ;  and  that 


THYATIRA    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  361 

an  elder  was  attached  to  each  division ;  to  this  elder,  he  gave  the 
copy  of  questions,  and  the  elder  supplied  the  division.  In  the  ex- 
amination he  never  publicly  questioned  the  elders,  they  met  him 
at  his  own  house.  The  children  were  early  brought  to  say  their 
catechism  ;  and  the  parents  were  reproved  or  commended  accord- 
ing to  the  proficiency  manifested  in  the  examination. 

In  his  preparation  for  the  pulpit,  he  made  free  use  of  his  pen  ; 
but  did  not  confine  himself  to  his  manuscript,  or  notes  ;  and  some- 
times did  not  even  use  notes.  In  a  note  to  a  printed  sermon,  he 
says,  "  He  would  never  be  seen  in  the  pulpit  without  full  notes, 
when  he  was  to  treat  on  a  disputed  or  argumentative  subject ;  on 
other  occasions,  he  would  use  his  discretion,  whether  to  preach 
from  notes  or  without."     In  this,  he  is  to  be  imitated. 

He  published  a  number  of  sermons  ;  four  on  the  subject  of 
Infidelity,  as  it  was  brought  out  in  the  United  States,  during  the 
French  Revolution  ;  feeling  with  his  brethren,  that  all  that  was 
dear  to  man  was  at  stake  ; — one  on  the  principle  and  practice  of 
giving  to  charitable  and  benevolent  objects  ; — one  on  .the  terms  of 
Christian  communion  ; — and  one  on  the  death  of  General  Wash 
ington.  The  latter  is  one  of  peculiar  excellence,  abounding  with 
sound  morality,  pure  philosophy,  and  true  religion. 

In  person,  he  was  tall,  about  six  feet  one  inch  ;  finely  formed  ; 
light  hair  and  pale  blue  eyes  ;  mild,  grave,  and  dignified  in  his 
appearance  ;  cheerful  in  his  disposition  ;  and  of  fine  conversational 
powers.  Firm  in  his  opinions,  and  devotedly  attached  to  the  doc- 
trines of  the  Presbyterian  church,  he  never  attacked,  unnecessarily, 
the  opinions  or  forms  of  others.  In  appearance  and  gait,  he  is 
said  to  have  very  much  resembled  Mr.  Jefferson.  During  a  visit 
to  Philadelphia,  while  Mr.  Jefferson  "was  there,  this  resemblance, 
noticed  by  many,  led  to  an  introduction  ;  and  both  parties  retired 
from  the  interview,  with  expressions  of  satisfaction. 

The  pulpit  instructions  of  Mr.  McCorkle  abounded  with  argu- 
ment and  observation  founded  upon  common  sense,  and  were 
enriched  by  his  historical  and  literary  reading  ;  and  the  people 
that  grew  up  under  his  care,  were  well  instructed  in  religion  and 
morals.  His  care  in  attending  the  judicatories  of  the  church,  is 
worthy  of  imitation ;  and  his  respect  for  the  decisions  of  his 
brethren,  when  pronounced  judicially,  was  such  as  to  make  him 
especially  careful  in  selecting  delegates  to  thfc  Assembly.  If  but 
one  delegate  were  to  be  sent,  he  preferred  a  brother  of  age  and 
experience  ;  if  two  were  to  be  sent,  he  desired  that  there  should 
be  one  of  the  older  and  one  of  the  younger  members  of  Presby- 


362  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

tery,  that   experience   might  be   gained  by  the   one,   and   might 
grow  under  the  influence  of  the  other. 

At  the  commencement  of  the  great  revival  in  1802,  in  Orange, 
Mr.  McCorkle  was  disinclined  to  believe  in  its  purity,  on  account 
of  the  "  exercises"  that  accompanied.  Being  persuaded  to  attend 
the  meeting  in  Randolph,  his  mind  underwent  a  change,  as  ap- 
pears from  the  letter  published  in  the  pamphlet  prepared  by  Dr. 
Hall,  which  makes  a  part  of  the  twenty-seventh  chapter  of  this 
volume. 

Although  brought  to  believe  in  the  revival,  as  a  work  of  God,  he 
ever  looked  upon  these  "  exercises,"  and  some  accompanying  ex- 
travagances, as  profane  mixtures,  against  which  he  bore  open 
testimony.  He  rather  tolerated  than  approved  camp-meetings  ; 
and  sometimes  was  opposed  to  them,  especially  as  standing, 
regular  means  of  instruction  or  excitement.  It  is  probable  that  the 
ministers  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  Carolina  generally,  now 
look  upon  them,  much  in  the  light  that  he  did,  as  being  matters  of 
prudence  and  discretion,  and  possessing  no  peculiar  sanctity  in 
themselves,  or  special  efficiency  for  growth  in  grace  and  divine 
knowledge  ;  that  their  use  or  disadvantage  must  be  judged  of  by 
circumstances. 

The  pastor  of  Thyatira  received  his  death-warrant  in  the  pulpit, 
being  struck  with  palsy  while  conducting  the  services  of  the  sanc- 
tuary. His  labors  as  a  minister  ceased,  but  his  services  as  a 
suffering  man  were  continued  for  some  years.  For  a  time,  his 
disorder  affected  his  mental  powers  ;  and  though  his  mind  became 
clear,  his  body  never  regained  its  tone  and  vigor.  In  1807,  the 
Presbytery  required  the  congregations  of  Thyatira  and  Back 
Creek  to  pay  a  proper  attention  to  the  circumstances  and  condi- 
tion of  the  man,  who  had  given  the  strength  of  his  manhood  to 
their  service.  Whether  this  was  altogether  as  a  mark  of  respect, 
and  for  a  good  example,  is  not  now  easily  ascertained,  nor  of  any 
practical  importance.  The  example  of  Presbytery,  in  the  case  of 
aged  and  infirm  ministers,  is  truly  commendable  ;  should  the  aged 
servant  die  unhonored  by  his  brethren  or  his  people  ? 

On  the  21st  June,  1811,  he  ceased  from  his  trials.  His  funeral 
was  conducted  according  to  directions  left  by  himself  in  writing. 
The  text  for  the  funeral  sermon  was  Job  xix.,  25,  26  :  "  For  I  know 
that  my  Redeemer  hveth,  and  that  he  shall  stand  at  the  latter 
day  upon  the  earth ;  and  though  after  my  skin  worms  destroy  this 
body,  yet  in  my  flesh  shall  I  see  God."  The  nineteenth  Psalm — 
"  Through  every  age  Eternal  God  " — and  the  sixty-first  Hymn  of 


THYATIRA    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  363 

Watts's  second  book — "  My  soul,  come  meditate  the  day,"  were 
sung  in  the  church.  The  elders,  attired  in  black,  sat  together  by 
the  corpse  before  the  pulpit,  which,  out  of  respect,  was  also  attired 
in  mourning.  As  the  body  was  borne  to  the  grave,  the  congrega- 
tion sang,  "  Hark  !  from  the  tombs  a  doleful  sound." 

Thomas  Espy  was  born  August  1st,  1800,  in  Cumberland 
County,  Pennsylvania.  Ere  he  saw  the  light,  his  pious  parents 
had  besought  the  blessing  of  God  for  the  child  ;  and  it  was  espe- 
cially the  wish  and  prayer  of  the  mother  that  the  child  might  be  a 
son,  and  he  a  minister  of  the  gospel  of  Christ.  Sprightliness  of 
mind  and  activity  of  body  characterized  him  from  his  early  infancy 
till  his  death.  But  with  it,  also,  from  his  very  early  years,  a 
thoughtfulness  and  a  disposition  to  inquire  and  ponder  on  religious 
things,  which  was  ripened  into  deep  seriousness  in  his  10th  year, 
during  a  revival  of  religion  in  the  congregation  in  Beaver  County, 
to  which  his  parents  belonged,  under  the  care  of  the  Rev.  Thomas 
E.  Hughes.  His  convictions  at  this  time  were  deep  and  sorely 
distressing,  and  accompanied  with  some  strong  temptations,  but 
were  not  followed  by  those  exercises  of  faith  and  hope  that  satis- 
fied his  mind  in  more  mature  years,  though  the  sense  of  religious 
things  did  not  leave  him,  nor  was  he  guilty  of  outbreaking  sins. 

When  about  ten  years  of  age,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the 
languages  with  Mr.  Hughes,  his  pastor,  and,  after  pursuing  these 
to  some  length  with  him,  he  was  sent  to  the  academy  in  the  neigh- 
borhood, and  then  went  through  the  usual  academical  classic  course, 
together  with  some  branches  of  the  mathematics.  Here  his  edu- 
cation was,  for  a  time,  suspended  by  adverse  circumstances  in  his 
father's  situation  ;  and  for  some  two  or  three  years  he  labored  on 
the  farm,  and  ultimately  engaged  in  teaching  a  small  school,  at  the 
same  time  reading  medical  books  under  the  direction  of  a  physi- 
cian in  the  neighborhood. 

While  thus  engaged,  he  was  led  by  the  grace  of  God  to  a  good 
hope  in  Christ ;  and  as  soon  as  he  obtained  a  comfortable  assur- 
ance of  acceptance  in  Christ,  he  longed  to  preach  the  gospel  to 
others.  He  united  with  the  church  by  a  public  profession,  about 
the  year  1820,  desiring  to  preach  the  gospel,  but  not  seeing  any 
way  by  which  he  might  come  into  that  desirable  labor. 

After  pursuing  the  study  of  medicine  about  two  years,  he  re- 
ceived from  an  uncle  whom  he  had  gone  to  visit,  a  proposition  of 
assistance  to  complete  his  college  course.  Delighted  with  the 
prospect,  he  immediately  entered  Washington  College,  then  hav- 


364  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ing  for  its  president  the  Rev.  Matthew  Brown,  D.D.,  and  pursued 
his  studies  with  vigor,  looking  forward  to  the  ministry. 

He  was  graduated  in  the  year  1824,  taking  the  second  honor 
from  a  competitor  who  had  been  taught  in  the  Westminster  school. 
In  the  month  of  February,  1825,  he  went  to  Romney,  Hampshire 
County,  Virginia,  and  taught  school,  and  commenced  reading  the- 
ology in  preparation  for  the  ministry.  In  the  fall  of  that  year,  he 
removed  to  Jefferson  County,  in  the  same  State,  and  lived  in  the 
family  of  Mrs.  Dandridge  as  tutor  :  with  this  lady  he  continued 
about  two  years,  teaching  her  children  and  pursuing  his  theologi- 
cal studies.  On  the  11th  of  April,  1827,  he  received  license  to 
preach  the  gospel,  from  the  Presbytery  of  Winchester,  which  held 
its  sessions  in  Middleburg,  Fauquier  County.  In  the  November 
following,  he  became  a  member  of  the  Theological  Seminary, 
Princeton. 

During  his  residence  in  Romney  and  at  Mrs.  Dandndge's,  his 
conscientious  walk  and  Christian  conversation  made  a  deep  im- 
pression in  favor  of  his  simple-hearted  piety.  Without  ostenta- 
tion, without  knowing  the  fact  himself,  he  produced  a  deep  con- 
viction on  the  young  people  of  his  acquaintance  of  two  things, 
viz.  :  that  there  is  a  reality  in  experimental  piety,  and  that  he  pos- 
sessed the  reality.  He  exhibited  a  happy  mixture  of  modesty  and 
independence,  that  won  the  favor  of  the  community,  never  thrusting 
himself  forward  as  for  praise  or  ostentation,  and  never  shrinking 
from  duty  through  alarm,  or  withholding  a  frank  avowal  of  the 
truth  and  his  opinion  what  was  truth,  through  any  sinister  motive. 

While  at  Princeton,  his  letters  to  his  friends  in  Virginia  breathed 
a  spirit  of  exalted  piety  and  unaffected  devotion  to  the  cause  of  his 
Lord  and  Master,  which  endeared  him  still  more  to  their  hearts. 
Like  as  his  prayers  had  been  in  the  prayer  meetings,  his  letters 
touched  the  heart  and  drew  it  out  in  earnest  desires  for  more  grace, 
and  knowledge  of  God.  W^ere  there  space  for  the  admission  of  a 
few  of  his  letters,  his  friends  in  Carolina  would  recognize  the 
future  preacher,  in  the  sentiments  which  fell  from  his  pen,  unstu- 
died and  in  rich  abundance  ;  no  scintillations  of  genius,  but  sparks 
of  true  celestial  fire  ;  no  aspirations  of  a  lofty  mind,  but  the  feel- 
ings of  a  lively  faith. 

In  the  spring  of  1828,  he  received  a  commission  from  the 
"  Young  Men's  Missionary  Society  of  Concord  Presbytery,"  and 
served  as  their  missionary  in  Burke  county  for  about  a  year.  His 
labors  are  not  yet  forgotten.  After  his  term  of  engagement  ex- 
pired, he  was  invited  to  preach  in  different  congregations,  and 


THYATIRA    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  365 

commenced  his  labors  in  Centre,  in  Iredell,  and  Bethel,  formerly 
a  part  of  Centre,  in  Mecklenburg  county.  On  the  10th  of  May, 
1830,  he  was  ordained  evangelist  at  Centre,  having  declined  being 
set  apart  for  the  services  of  a  particular  congregation.  For  a  time 
his  services  here  were  much  blessed  ;  but  unhappily  a  collision  of 
opinions  and  practice  on  the  subject  of  baptism  broke  up  his  pros- 
pects of  usefulness  to  that  degree,  his  friends  judged  a  removal 
prudent.  The  congregation  had  been  accustomed,  under  their  for- 
mer pastor,  to  see  the  ordinance  of  baptism  administered  to  chil- 
dren of  parents  who  had  been  baptized,  whether  they  had  made 
public  profession  or  not.  To  this  custom  Mr.  Espy  felt  strongly 
opposed,  and  expressed  his  opposition  with  his  usual  frankness  and 
decision,  believing  that  the  ordinance  ought  to  be  administered  to 
children  of  professors  only.  There  were  some  unhappy  circum- 
stances attending  this  collision  which  distressed  him  greatly  both 
in  body  and  mind,  which  need  not  be  repeated  ;  their  interest  was 
local. 

In  the  spring  of  1831  he  removed  to  Salisbury,  and  about  the 
same  time  was  united  in  marriage  to  Miss  Sarah  Louisa  Tate,  of 
Burke  county,  a  lady  altogether  worthy  of  him.  In  Salisbury  his 
labors  were  greatly  blessed,  to  the  building  up  of  the  church  in 
faith  and  in  numbers.  He  excelled  in  the  pastoral  office  ;  his 
counsels  were  so  plain,  his  reproofs  so  kind  and  direct,  his  exhorta- 
tions so  earnest,  and  his  example  so  impressive,  he  gained  his 
people's  love,  as  he  built  them  up  in  the  most  holy  faith. 

In  February,  1832,  he  was  seized  with  a  hemorrhage  of  the 
lungs,  which  put  an  end,  in  a  great  measure,  to  all  his  pulpit  ex- 
ercises. Of  middling  stature,  a  slender  frame,  and  somewhat 
delicate  constitution,  he  had  permitted  his-  ardent  desire  to  build 
up  the  cause  of  Christ  to  lead  him  to  efforts  in  public  speaking  be- 
yond his  strength.  In  many  places  the  cause  of  religion  was 
exciting  unusual  attention  about  this  time.  His  ardent  heart  made 
him  forgetful  of  himself, — and,  in  consequence  of  a  cold  caught 
during  a  series  of  appointments  in  the  fall  of  1831,  his  lungs  c-ave 
way,  and  he  was  able  to  preach  no  more. 

His  sickness  and  death  preached  eloquently.  Blessed  of  God 
to  win  souls  to  Christ  in  his  ministry,  his  success  was  continued 
to  his  last  breath,  some  being  hopefully  converted  by  witnessing 
his  Christian  spirit  in  his  last  hours.  A  brother  in  the  ministry, 
who  knew  him  well,  in  whose  house  Mr.  Espy  endured  a  part  of 
his  last  illness,  said  of  him,  in  a  letter  some  time  after  his  decease, 
— "  I  knew  him  well,  perhaps  no  one  on  earth  knew  him  better, 


366  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  I  feel  no  hesitation  in  saying  that,  in  many  important  respects, 
I  have  never  known  his  equal.  Mr.  Espy  was  an  eminently  holy 
man.  I  was  intimate  with  him  when  in  health,  and  a  great  deal 
in  his  company  during  his  protracted  illness,  and  my  impression 
is,  that  I  have  never  known  any  one  who  lived  so  near  Christ. 
His  religion  was  not  enthusiasm,  but  a  tender  and  unwavering 
confidence  in  the  Saviour.  He  repeatedly  told  me,  that,  during  all 
his  sickness,  he  never  entertained  a  doubt  in  regard  to  his  situation. 
Once,  when  we  thought  him  dying,  and  were  all  weeping  around 
his  bed,  he  said  to  me,  '  these  friends  are  all  mistaken — this  is  the 
happiest  hour  I  ever  saw.'  " 

The  last  few  weeks  of  his  life  were  passed  at  the  house  of  R. 
H.  Burton,  Esq.,  near  Beattie's  Ford,  in  the  bounds  of  Unity  con- 
gregation, by  whom  he  was  held  in  the  highest  esteem.  On  the 
16th  of  April,  1833,  he  breathed  his  last,  in  full  hope  of  a  joyful 
resurrection.  His  body  was  carried  to  Salisbury,  and  interred 
near  the  west  corner  of  the  frame  church,  on  the  skirts  of  the 
town,  a  spot  occupied  for  a  long  time  by  the  Presbyterians  and 
Lutherans  for  public  worship,  and  still  as  the  place  for  the  burial 
of  their  dead.  His  wife  survived  him  a  few  years,  and  passed 
away,  leaving  an  orphan  daughter.  "  Blessed  are  the  dead  that 
die  in  the  Lord." 

"  Mr.  Espy,"  says  a  brother  in  the  ministry  who  knew  him  well, 
"  possessed  a  quickness  of  apprehension  and  a  patience  of  inves- 
tigation rarely  found  in  combination.  He  was  not  what  is  gene- 
rally called  a  popular  preacher  ;  but  he  was  something  a  great 
deal  better.  His  voice  was  too  effeminate  to  permit  him  to  have 
great  and  immediate  power  over  a  large  promiscuous  congregation, 
such  as  we  southern  preachers  have  often  to  grapple  with.  I  do 
not  mean  to  leave  the  impression  that  he  was  not  an  interesting 
preacher.  To  those  who  wished  to  listen  to  the  truth  he  was  emi- 
nently interesting. 

"  The  most  distinguishing  features  of  his  preaching  were  great 
point,  and  a  prominent  exhibition  of  the  Saviour.  Emphatically 
he  preached  Christ  to  the  people.  You  will  be  prepared  to  be 
told  that  he  was  a  successful  minister.  He  was  useful  wherever 
he  preached  any  length  of  time,  but  more  so  in  Salisbury  than 
anywhere  else.  There  is  a  people  here  that  will  never  forget 
him. 

"  It  is  the  impression  of  others,  as  well  as  myself,  that  Mr. 
Espy  did  much  to  raise  the  tone  of  ministerial  piety  in  this  Pres- 
bytery." 


REV.    JAMES    M  GREADY.  367 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

REV.    JAMES    m'gREADY,    AND    THE    REVIVAL    OF    1800. 

The  name  of  McGready  is  connected  with  revivals.  He  was  blessed 
in  being  an  instrument  of  a  revival  of  religion  in  North  Carolina, 
in  his  early  ministry,  the  salutary  effects  of  which  are  felt  at  this  day 
in  churches  in  different  States,  enjoying  the  labors  of  faithful  men, 
that  then  came  in  to  the  visible  church  of  Christ,  on  profession  of 
faith.  Subsequently,  he  was  honored  of  God  to  be  the  first  agent, 
that  moved  successfully  in  breaking  up  the  deep  sleep  that  weighed 
down  the  Christian  public,  and  was  personally  active  in  the  com- 
mencement of  that  revival  that  began  in  1800,  in  Kentucky,  and 
soon  was  felt  in  Tennessee  and  Ohio  ;  in  1802,  on  to  1804,  was 
enjoyed  in  parts  of  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina  and  Virginia. 
The  fruits  of  this  revival  remain  to  this  day,  and  -will  be  felt  in  their 
remote  consequences  for  ever,  in  these  United  States,  and  wherever' 
else  the  Gospel  has  been  preached,  by  those  who  may  be  considered 
the  fruits,  more  or  less  direct,  of  this  great  display  of  the  Divine 
Spirit  upon  the  hearts  of  men. 

There  has  been  no  memoir  of  this  man  given  to  the  world;  but 
it  is  not  right  for  the  church  community  to  let  his  memory  perish. 
To  have  looked  at  him,  in  his  early  days,  as  he  was  laboring  in  the 
fields  in  Carolina  ;  or  to  have  seen  him  when  he  was  become  angry 
that  an  honest  man  doubted  his  religion  ;  or  to  have  listened  to  him 
wThen  he  passed  through  Virginia,  at  the  close  of  the  revival,  under 
Smith  and  Graham,  we  probably  should  not  have  said  this  is  the 
man  whom  God  has  chosen  to  put  in  motion  the  whole  community, 
on  the  greatest  of  all  subjects,  and  the  one  to  which  the  human 
heart  is  most  averse.  But  God  sees  not  as  man  sees,  and  he  chooses 
whom  he  will  for  his  divine  purposes  of  mercy,  both  as  agent  and 
recipient.  Let  man  honor  whom  God  honors  ;  and  let  us  rejoice  in 
him  whom  God  first  made  a  vessel  of  mercy,  and  then  a  jewel  of 
honor. 

In  the  preface  to  a  volume  of  sermons,  which  a  few  years  ago 
were  published  from  his  papers,  in  Louisville,  there  is  a  brief  ac- 
count of  the  commencement  of  the  revival  in  Kentucky,  drawn  up 
by  his  hand.  In  the  preface  to  the  second  volume,  which  appeared 
some  time  after,  is  the  apology  of  the  Editor,  for  not  fulfilling  ex- 


3()8  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH    CAROLINA. 

pectations  he  had  excited  in  the  first,  of  having  a  memoir  of  the 
able  and  blessed  servant  of  God,  whose  sermons  he  was  sending  out 
to  the  world,  and  informs  the  public  that  he  had  entirely  failed  in 
obtaining  any  information  about  his  early  life  and  labors.  McGready 
left  no  son,  and  no  memoranda  of  himself,  among  his  papers,  except 
the  short  account  of  the  commencement  of  the  revival ;  modestly 
estimating  himself,  and  his  labors,  and  usefulness,  he  was  willing  to 
wait  the  developments  of  the  Great  day,  and  abide  the  providence 
of  God. 

At  several  different  times,  in  the  year  1843,  the  Rev.  Ebenezer 
B.  Currie,  of  Orange  Presbytery,  who  was  a  pupil  of  McGready  in 
his  youth,  gave  the  writer  an  extended  account  of  the  labors  and 
successes  of  that  eminent  servant  of  God,  and  is  the  authority  for  the 
principal  facts  in  his  early  history,  and  very  many  respecting  his 
maturer  years.  He,  the  Rev.  James  Hall,  D.D.,  and  S.  E. 
McCorkle,  D.D.,  are  the  authority  for  the  statements  about  the 
revival  in  North  Carolina.  They  all  speak  of  things  they  saw  and 
heard  and  knew. 

The  parents  of  McGready  were  of  the  Scotch-Irish  race,  but 
whether  they  emigrated  from  Ireland,  or  were  born  in  Pennsylvania, 
is  not  now  known.  When  he  was  quite  young,  they  removed  to 
Carolina,  and  settled  in  Buffalo  congregation,  in  Guilford  county, 
near  where  Greensboro,  now  stands,  about  the  time  that  Dr.  Caldwell 
became  the  pastor  of  the  congregation,  which  is  now  occupied  by 
Mr.  Caruthers.  Here  James  passed  part  of  his  boyish  days,  and  part 
of  his  youth,  in  such  labor,  as  persons  of  no  very  extensive  property 
were,  in  those  years,  accustomed  to  in  Carolina. 

The  sedateness  of  the  youth  and  his  punctuality  in  religious  duties, 
united  to  a  desire  for  mental  improvement,  so  pleased  an  uncle  of 
his,  who  was  on  a  visit  at  his  father's,  that  he  conceived  the  idea  of 
having  James  educated  for  the  ministry,  and  prevailed  on  the  parents 
to  consent  to  his  taking  his  son  with  him  to  Pennsylvania  to  secure 
an  education  in  preparation  to  his  preaching  the  gospel.  His  uncle 
believed  him  to  be  religious  ;  he  thought  so  himself.  In  speaking  of 
these,  his  early  days  and  impressions,  Mr.  McGready  used  to  say  that 
he  never  omitted  private  prayer  from  the  time  he  was  seven  years 
old,  and  having  been  preserved  from  outbreaking  sins,  from  profane 
swearing,  from  intoxication,  and  sabbath  breaking,  and  other  ex- 
cesses, he  had  begun  to  think  that  he  was  sanctified  from  his  birth. 
When  about  seventeen  years  of  age  he  united  in  the  communion  of  the 
church,  professing  a  full  belief  in  the  doctrines  of  the  Bible,  in  which 
he  had  been  carefully  instructed,  and  in  the  formulary,  the  catechism 


REV.   JAMES   m'gready.  369 

of  the  Westminster  Assembly,  in  which,  at  that  time,  all  children  of 
Presbyterian  congregations  were  reverently  taught. 

While  he  was  studying  for  the  ministry,  fully  satisfied  of  his  own 
interest  in  the  redemption  of  Christ,  an  incident  occurred  that 
destroyed  all  his  peace.  He  overheard  a  conversation  between  the 
gentleman  with  whom  he  boarded  and  a  neighbor  who  had  stepped 
in  one  day.  "  Do  you  think,"  said  the  neighbor,  "  that  this  young 
man  you  have  studying  here  has  got  any  religion  V  "  No,"  said 
the  gentleman,  "  not  a  spark."  The  meaning  was,  that  he  did  not 
think  him  a  converted  man,  and  that  he,  of  course,  had  not  felt  in 
his  heart  the  doctrines  of  grace.  McGready  felt  himself  much 
aggrieved  at  this  opinion,  and  peculiarly  at  this  expression  of  it; 
and  resolved  to  change  his  abode,  not  willing  to  live  any  longer  with 
one  that  thought  so  little  of  his  piety  or  his  knowledge  of  religion. 
After  the  first  rush  of  his  indignation  had  somewhat  subsided,  the 
thought  arose  in  his  mind,  that  perhaps  there  might  be  some  ground 
for  the  gentleman's  unfavorable  opinion.  He,  therefore,  commenced 
a  thorough  examination  of  his  principles  of  belief,  his  practice,  and 
his  feelings.  Of  his  principles  of  belief,  after  examination,  he  was 
satisfied  that  they  were  correct.  Of  his  practice,  it  appeared  to  him 
that  he  loved  what  the  Scripture  required,  and  turned  away  from 
those  things  the  word  of  God  forbade.  Thus  far  he  felt  safe.  But 
when  he  came  to  examine  his  feelings,  to  try  them  by  such  passages 
as,  being  "filled  with  the  spirit ;  filled  with  joy ;  filled  with  the 
Holy  Ghost ;  joy  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;  the  fruit  of  the  spirit  is 
love,  joy,  peace,"  it  seemed  to  him  that  he  did  not  understand  these 
things  experimentally.  Like  Paul,  "  When  the  commandment  came, 
sin  revived  and  he  died."  The  conflict  in  his  soul  was  severe  and 
protracted.  He  said  that  the  first  actual  sin  of  which  he  felt  con- 
victed was  his  having  communed  improperly  ;  and  then  the  sin  of 
his  whole  life  stood  up  before  him  in  awful  array.  He  had  no  rest 
in  his  soul  till  he  believed  Christ  gave  him  peace  in  believing,  and 
his  heart  tasted  some  of  the  joys  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

This  part  of  his  experience  gave  a  peculiar  cast  to  his  preaching 
through  life,  and  made  it  peculiarly  pungent  in  Carolina,  where  he 
commenced  his  labors.  Through  life  he  was  famous  for  pointing 
out  the  hiding-places  of  the  hypocrite  and  self-deceived,  and  bring- 
ing out  the  thoughts  of  men's  hearts  and  revealing  to  them  their 
secret  purposes,  and  setting  them  at  war  in  their  own  souls,  lead 
them  to  Christ  Jesus  for  peace.  Formal  professors  had  generally  a 
very  great  dislike  to  him,  accusing  him  of  personality  and  undue 
severity. 

24 


370  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

Redstone  Presbytery  gave  him  license  to  preach  when  he  was 
about  thirty  years  of  age.  His  education  was  finished  under  Dr. 
McMillan,  the  founder  of  the  Literary  and  Theological  school,  that 
ultimately  grew  into  Cannonsburg  College,  the  first  institution  of 
the  kind  west  of  the  Alleghanies.  Three  institutions  were  com- 
menced by  the  Scotch-Irish  before  the  Revolution ;  one  in  Western 
Pennsylvania,  one  in  the  valley  of  Virginia,  and  one  in  Charlotte, 
North  Carolina.  The  latter  was  broken  up  during  the  Revolution ; 
the  two  former  are  now  flourishing  institutions.  Dr.  McMillan  was 
the  means  of  rearing  many  useful  preachers,  by  whom  the  wants  of 
the  rising  West  were  for  a  time  supplied. 

After  his  licensure,  McGready  returned  to  Carolina  to  visit  his 
connexions.  On  his  way  he  passed  through  the  places  in  Virginia 
visited  by  the  Revival,  which  spread  so  far  and  wide  under  the 
ministrations  of  J.  B.  Smith  and  William  Graham,  in  1788  and 
1789.  He  made  some  stay  in  Prince  Edward,  at  Hampden  Sydney 
College,  then  under  the  care  of  Mr.  Smith,  that  eminently  success- 
ful minister  of  Christ.  With  his  heart  warmed  by  what  he  heard 
and  saw,  and  cheered  in  his  soul  with  the  expectations  of  good  to 
come  from  the  Great  Head  of  the  church  to  Zion,  through  the  in- 
strumentality of  the  excellent  young  men  he  saw  in  preparation  for 
the  ministry,  and  of  whom  Pattillo  speaks  encouragingly  in  his 
letter  to  Synod  in  1793,  he  reached  Guilford,  prepared  to  bear  a 
testimony  to  men  in  favor  of  divine  truth  in  its  spiritual  application. 

The  form  of  religious  instruction  and  worship  had  been  continued 
by  the  churches  in  Carolina,  with  commendable  exactness,  during 
the  trying  scenes  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  The  attention  to  cate- 
chetical instruction  in  families  had  not  much  abated.  But  the  life 
and  spirit  of  religion  had  suffered  much  from  the  necessary  irregu- 
larity in  attending  on  the  public  ordinances,  and  from  the  harass- 
ing cares  and  indescribable  vexations  and  suffering  from  the  pro- 
tracted campaigns  of  Cornwallis,  preceding  the  battle  of  Guilford 
Court-house.  There  was  much  true  piety  nourished  in  the  congre- 
gations, and  much  of  the  heavenly  temper  cherished  in  the  closet 
and  family  circle ;  but  much  formality  had  also  come  in,  and  close 
upon  its  footsteps  outbreaking  sin.  The  march  of  armies  is  marked 
by  plunder  and  vice  ;  and  dissipation  and  immorality  follow  in 
their  train.  The  most  moral  and  retired  neighborhood  suddenly  found 
themselves  in  the  track  of  hostile  forces,  and  felt  the  moral  shock  in 
their  families  with  painful  sensibility. 

As  the  subjects  naturally  presented  for  discussion,  during  the 
contest  between  the  colonies  and  the  mother  country,  by  the  patri- 


REV.    JAMES     m'gUEADY.  371 

otic  Presbyterian  ministers,  were  of  a  general  nature — more  often 
referring  to  the  wise  providence  of  God ;  the  necessity  of  contend- 
ing for  liberty  of  conscience,  of  person,  and  of  property ;  the  pro- 
priety of  resistance  to  blood  in  a  good  cause,  than  to  the  more  spi- 
ritual and  devotional  duties  of  the  gospel ;  it  came  to  pass  that  the 
subjects  of  experimental  religion  were  less  insisted  upon  or  heeded 
than  they  might  have  been,  or  than  they  had  been  in  former  and 
more  quiet  times.  It  is  not  to  be  understood  that  the  standard  of 
piety  or  morality  was  either  intentionally  abrogated  or  changed, 
but  the  subjects  pertaining  to  the  war  in  which  all  were  involved, 
assumed  a  paramount  controlling  influence,  and  the  sacred  fire 
burned  less  purely  in  the  congregation  and  the  family ;  and  the 
scenes  of  bloodshed  and  plunder  witnessed  so  frequently,  hardened 
the  heart  against  the  commands  of  God. 

After  the  settlement  of  peace,  many  things  were  found  to  have 
crept  into  at  least  some  of  the  congregations  in  Carolina,  which 
could  not  be  justified  or  tolerated  ;  more  easily  introduced  than 
eradicated ;  more  clamorously  defended  than  adroitly  extenuated. 
Parties  for  dancing  were  considered  by  many  as  harmless  as  they 
were  fascinating ;  the  use  of  spirituous  liquors  had  become  more 
free  and  dangerous ;  and  in  some  neighborhoods  horse-racing  was 
tolerated  as  an  innocent  amusement,  from  which  improvement  of  the 
breed  of  useful  animals  might  be  looked  for  as  a  natural  consequence. 
All  had  sought  for  freedom  of  opinion  and  of  conscience  through  the 
mortal  strife  of  the  Revolution  ;  and  many  considered  freedom  from 
moral  obligation  as  part  of  civil  liberty.  It  is  scarcely  to  be  won- 
dered at,  though  much  to  be  mourned  over,  that  in  breaking  down 
the  opposition  to  religious  freedom,  and  the  unjustifiable  hindrances 
to  the  exercise  of  religious  liberty,  the  necessary  barriers  to  vice  and 
transgression  should  receive  a  severe  shock,  and  even  some  of  the 
outworks  be  broken  down. 

Among  other  things  of  a  very  objectionable  nature  which  had 
become  prevalent,  was  the  habit  of  distributing  spirituous  liquors  at 
funerals.  Provisions  of  some  kind  were  set  out,  commonly  before 
the  door,  or  carried  round  in  baskets,  and  spirits  offered  freely  to 
those  who  desired.  The  solemnity  of  the  occasion  was  sometimes 
lost  in  the  excitement,  and  scenes  of  drinking  invaded  the  house  of 
mourning.  To  preserve  the  appearance  of  religion,  some  one, 
an  officer  of  the  church,  if  present,"was  called  upon  to  open  the 
scene  of  eating  and  drinking  by  asking  a  blessing  on  the  refresh- 
ments prepared. 

Mr.  McGready  attended  a  funeral  soon  after  his  return  to  Guil- 


372  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ford,  and  in  compliment  to  the  young  minister  just  returned,  he 
was  called  upon  to  ask  a  blessing  that  they  might  commence  their 
drinking.  "  No,"  he  replied,  "  I  will  not  be  guilty  of  insulting 
God  by  asking  a  blessing  upon  what  I  know  to  be  wrong."  A 
great  sensation  was  produced,  and  McGready  stood  up  for  his  de- 
fence, a  champion  not  to  be  despised,  large  in  form,  some  six  feet 
hio-h,  of  prominent  features,  grave  in  demeanor,  solemn  in  speech, 
plain  and  neat  in  his  style  of  dress,  unaffected  in  his  manners,  with 
a  powerful  voice,  and  somewhat  ungainly  in  his  address,  with  the 
appearance  of  great  weight  and  bodily  strength. 

The  attention  of  the  neighborhood  being  turned  to  him,  he  com- 
menced preaching  along  Haw  River,  and  in  various  other  places  in 
Guilford.     His  first  sermons  were  to  alarm  church  members.     Under 
his  ministrations  very  many  gave  up  their  hopes  of  salvation  which 
they  had  been  cherishing,  and  confessed  themselves  deceived  hypo- 
crites.    Under  his  searching  addresses  they  felt  themselves  to  be,  as 
he  had  been,  unworthy  to  be  acknowledged  members  of  Christ's 
visible  church,  and   abhorred  themselves  in  dust  and  ashes.     He 
would  often  say  to  them,  "  An  unworthy  communicant  in  such  cir- 
cumstances as  yours,  is  more  offensive  to  Almighty  God  than  a 
loathsome  carcase  crawling  with  vermin  set  before  a  dainty  prince." 
His  pulpit  preparations,  while  he  lived  in  Carolina,  were  made 
with  much  study  ;  what  were  his  habits  after  removing  to  the  West 
is  not  known.     In  Carolina  he  used  to  devote  some  two  days  of 
each  week  in  writing  out  his  sermons  for  Sabbath  with  great  care. 
He  considered  the  word  of  God  as  truth  to  be  taken  for  granted, 
and  of  course  not  to  be  reasoned  about  as  if  to  be  proved,  but  to 
be  explained  and  enforced  by  the  various  considerations  presented 
by  revelation  itself,  by  man's  condition,  and  by  providence.     His 
written  discourses  were  carefully  perused  and  re-perused  before  he 
appeared  in  public,  but  were  never  seen  in  the  pulpit.     By  his  care 
in  preparation  the  subject  was  sufficiently  impressed  upon  his  mind 
for  him  to  speak  with  fluency  and  correctness  without  reference  to 
notes.     His  spoken  sermons  were  much  longer  than  his  prepara- 
tions, the  different  heads  being  more  fully  explained,  and  the  appli- 
cation very  much  enlarged.     The  volumes  of  sermons  printed  at 
Louisville  a  few  years  since,  were  composed  of  preparations  of  this 
sort.     The  Rev.  Mr.  Currie,  who  was  for  a  time  his  pupil,  recollects 
to  have  heard  some  of  those  sermons  delivered  in  Carolina.     From 
these  circumstances  the  printed   sermons,  exhibiting  much  good 
thought  and  power  of  language,  will  be  less  impressive  than  the 
discourses  that  fell  from  his  lips,  possessing  all  the  excellences  of 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  373 

the  written  ones,  and  enriched  by  the  tide  of  feeling  from  a  burning 
heart. 

He  excelled  in  public  prayer,  and  the  prayer  before  sermon  was 
usually  long,  free  from  repetitions,  and  filled  with  earnest  wrestlings 
with  God  for  the  assembled  people.  Often  the  congregation  was 
in  tears,  under  the  influence  of  his  devotions. 

In  his  delivery  he  was  always  solemn,  and  sometimes  very  ani- 
mated from  the  commencement.  Generally  he  began  very  calm 
and  waxed  warmer  as  he  progressed,  and  in  the  application  was 
always  fervent.  Avoiding  metaphysical  discussions,  he  preached 
the  plain  word  of  God  with  much  point  and  great  plainness  and 
effect  To  his  hearers  he  often  seemed  a  "  Son  of  Thunder,"  and 
always  a  warm  experimental  Calvinistic  preacher. 

The  congregations  in  which  his  labors  were  more  particularly 
expended,  were  Haw  River  and  Stony  Creek.  Haw  River  has  de- 
clined from  being  a  congregation ;  the  place  of  preaching  is  re- 
moved and  is  now  called  Gum  Grove.  Stony  Creek  is  still  a 
congregation  and  enjoys  the  labors  of  a  pastor.  In  these  congre- 
gations, and  wherever  else  he  preached  in  the  neighboring  charges, 
the  excitement  on  the  subject  of  religion  was  great,  and  the  in- 
quiry about  experimental  godliness  became  very  general.  After  he 
had  been  in  Carolina  about  a  year,  he  was  married  to  a  Miss 
Nancy  Thompson,  from  the  bounds  of  Redstone  Presbytery,  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  took  his  residence  some  three  or  four  miles  be- 
low High  Rock,  about  midway  between  his  two  congregations.  A 
school  was  opened  at  his  house,  under  his  direction,  but  taught 
principally  by  his  brother,  who  was  himself  pursuing  a  course  of 
study.  This  location  being  near  his  parents'  residence,  Mr.  Currie 
attended  upon  its  instruction  for  a  length  of  time,  and  under  the 
preaching  of  Mr.  McGready  became  permanently  impressed  with  a 
sense  of  religion,  which  was  ultimately  ripened  into  a  desire  to 
preach  the  gospel. 

Buffalo  and  Alamance,  the  congregations  of  Dr.  Caldwell,  re- 
ceived many  profitable  visits  from  Mr.  McGready,  who  frequently 
called  upon  the  school  under  the  Dr.'s  care,  and  became  a  favorite 
of  the  students.  His  intercourse  with  these  young  men  had  an 
abiding  influence  over  their  hearts  and  lives.  Many  became  hope- 
fully pious  in  consequence  of  his  exhortations  and  instruptions.  At 
one  time  he  lay  confined  by  great  debility  of  body,  brought  on  by 
excessive  labors,  and  a  consequent  fit  of  sickness,  and  was  very 
kindly  and  assiduously  attended  upon  by  the  more  serious  of  the 
young  men.     He  used  occasionally  to  send  for  the  more  thoughtless, 


374  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

and  hold  a  short  conversation  with  them  on  the  subject  of  their  sal- 
vation ;  and  seldom  did  any  one,  says  Mr.  Currie,  leave  him  with- 
out tears.  One  young  man  made  himself  merry  at  the  tenderness 
of  the  others,  till  one  day  McGready  sent  for  him  for  an  interview, 
from  which  he  in  a  short  time  returned,  more  deeply  affected  than 
the  others  by  the  kindness  and  solemnity  of  the  manner,  and  the 
importance  of  the  subjects  presented  to  his  mind. 

The  excitement  that  spread  over  the  congregation  of  Hawfields, 
Cross  Roads,  Alamance,  Buffalo,  Stony  Creek,  Bethlehem,  Haw 
River,  Eno,  and  the  churches  in  Granville,  and  those  on  the  Hico 
and  the  waters  of  the  Dan,  was  great,  and  ultimately  exceedingly 
beneficial.  Dr.  Caldwell,  a  very  sound  but  dispassioned  preacher, 
stood  by  him  and  improved  the  influences  in  his  own  congregations. 
Cross  Roads  and  Hawfields  were  vacant  at  the  commencement  of 
the  revival.  Mr.  John  Debow,  the  successor  of  Henry  Pattillo  the 
first  pastor,  who  is  spoken  of  by  tradition  as  an  excellent  preacher, 
had  died  in  September,  1783,  and  lies  buried  in  the  church-yard  at 
Hawfields.  His  brother-in-law,  a  Mr.  Lake,  preached  to  the  con- 
gregation for  a  time ;  and  under  his  ministrations  the  congregation 
of  Cross  Roads  was  set  off,  composed  of  portions  of  Hawfields,  Eno, 
and  Stony  Creek.  The  next  preacher  was  cotemporary  with 
McGready,  a  Mr.  Hodge.  He  had  been  hopefully  converted  under 
the  preaching  of  Mr.  Debow,  and  had  commenced  preparation  for 
the  ministry ;  but  had  become  discouraged  after  the  death  of  his 
pastor  and  abandoned  his  design.  Mr.  McGready's  preaching  kin- 
dled his  desire  anew,  and  finishing  his  preparatory  studies  with  Dr. 
Caldwell  he  commenced  his  labors  as  a  minister  at  Hawfields  and 
Cross  Roads.  He  went  heart  and  hand  in  the  work  of  the  gospel 
with  McGready ;  and  often  made  excursions  with  him.  Agreeing 
in  principles  and  designs,  these  men  were  different  in  their  tempera- 
ment and  their  manner  of  dispensing  the  gospel.  From  his  tender 
and  affectionate  manner  Hodge  was  styled  "  the  Son  of  Consolation." 

While  the  work  of  revival  was  going  on  in  the  counties  of  Orange 
and  Guilford,  and  in  parts  of  the  neighboring  ones,  the  congrega- 
tions in  Granville,  where  Pattillo  lived  and  preached,  and  along  the 
Hico,  were  visited  by  Nash  Legrand  and  Carey  Allen,  young  men 
from  Virginia,  the  fruits  of  the  revival  which  had  prevailed  under 
the  preaching  of  John  B.  Smith,  particularly  at  Hampden  Sydney 
College,  of  which  they  were  members.  Great  effects  followed  their 
preaching.  When  their  mission  was  ended,  multitudes  followed 
them  into  Virginia  to  attend  the  sacramental  seasons  in  Prince  E  d- 
ward  and  Charlotte.     A  friendly  intercourse  was  then  commenced 


rev.  james    m'gready.  375 

between  the  congregations  of  the  two  Synods,  which  has  continued 
more  or  less  to  the  present  day. 

This  revival,  which  commenced  about  the  year  1791,  continued 
for  some  years  in  the  upper  part  of  what  is  now  Orange  Presbytery. 
Many  professors  of  religion  renounced  their  hopes  and  became,  as 
they  thought,  truly  converted  to  God ;  others  were  greatly  enlivened 
and  strengthened  in  their  faith,  and  rejoiced  in  renewed  graces ; 
and  many  hopeful  converts  were  added  to  the  church.  This  was 
the  Second  Revival  of  Religion  in  North  Carolina,  after  the  Revo- 
lutionary war,  of  any  extent,  of  which  any  account  or  tradition  has 
been  preserved ;  the  first  having  been  in  Iredell. 

Mr.  Currie  relates  the  interesting  fact,  that  in  the  year  1801,  in 
the  month  of  March,  at  Barbacue  church  in  Cumberland  county, 
five  young  men,  Messrs.  Brown,  Murphy,  McMillan,  McNair,  Shaw, 
Matthews,  together  with  himself,  were  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel 
by  Orange  Presbytery.  All  had  received  part  of  their  education  at 
Caldwell's  school,  in  Guilford ;  and  some,  the  whole.  Part  of  them 
had  grown  up  there,  and  been  more  or  less  under  the  influence  of 
McGready.  Of  these,  Matthews  and  Brown  have  received  the  de- 
gree of  D.D.  from  respectable  colleges. 

This  revival  was  attended  with  no  unusual  appearances  or  exer- 
cises. The  opposition  to  the  close  and  practical  preaching  and  re- 
newed discipline  never  broke  out  into  violence  but  in  one  case.  At 
Stony  Creek  there  were  some  families  of  wealth  and  influence,  that 
had  become  loose  in  their  religious  habits  and  morals  during  this 
disturbance  of  the  war  and  the  presence  of  the  armies ;  these  opposed 
Mr.  McGready's  course  and  preaching,  and  proceeded  from  one  step 
of  opposition  to  another,  till  their  dislike  exceeded  all  bounds. 
Some  of  these,  during  one  of  their  nights  of  revelry,  made  a  bonfire 
of  the  pulpit  near  the  church,  and  left  in  the  clerk's  seat  a  letter 
written  with  blood,  warning  him  that  unless  he  desisted  from  his 
way  of  preaching,  their  vengeance  would  not  be  satisfied  with  the 
destruction  of  the  pulpit ;  and  his  person  would  not  be  inviolate. 
McGready,  as  might  have  been  expected,  not  in  the  least  intimi- 
dated by  the  burning  of  the  pulpit,  or  the  letter,  continued  to  preach 
as  usual ;  and  the  opposition,  confined  to  a  few,  died  away.  In  a 
few  years  the  dissipation  of  these  families  became  the  ruin  of  their 
character  and  property ;  and  after  the  lapse  of  a  short  period  not  a 
descendant  of  theirs  could  be  found  in  the  congregation. 

Throughout  the  country,  the  pious,  and  the  sedate  who  were  not 
pious,  favored  the  labors  of  the  ministers  that  were  engaged  in  this 
work  of  grace,  whose  effects  have  been  a  blessing  to  the  church  and 


376  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

community  to  this  clay.  Some  of  the  ministers  that  were  brought 
in  to  the  church,  during  those  years  the  revival  continued,  yet  live, 
crowned  with  years  and  usefulness,  soon  to  follow  to  the  judgment 
of  God  the  generations  that  were  actors  in  these  scenes. 

In  the  year  1796  Mr.  McGready,  who  had  been  ordained  in  1793, 
removed  to  Kentucky ;  in  the  year  1799  the  Presbytery  of  Orange 
dismissed  Rev.  Wm.  McGee,  and  Barton  Stone,  a  licentiate,  to 
Pennsylvania  Presbytery,  and  in  1800  the  Rev.  Messrs.  Wm.  Hodge, 
Samuel  McAdo  and  John  Rankin,  to  remove  to  the  West ;  and  the 
part  these  men  acted  in  the  succeeding  events  in  the  West  forms  an 
interesting  page  in  the  history  of  the  valley  of  the  Mississippi. 

The  following  is  an  extract  from  McGready's  own  statement,  and 
shows  the  state  of  things  in  Kentucky. 

Logan  county,  Kentucky,  Oct.  28th,  1801. 

(t  In  the  month  of  May,  1797,  which  was  the  spring  after  I  came 
to  this  country,  the  Lord  graciously  visited  Gasper  River  congrega- 
tion (an  infant  church  under  my  charge).  The  doctrines  of  Re- 
generation, Faith,  and  Repentance,  which  I  uniformly  preached, 
seemed  to  call  the  attention  of  the  people  to  a  serious  inquiry. 
During  the  winter  the  question  was  often  proposed  to  me,  Is  reli- 
gion a  sensible  thing  ?  If  I  were  converted  would  I  feel  it  and 
know  it  ?  In  May,  as  I  said  before,  the  work  began.  A  woman 
who  had  been  a  professor  in  full  communion  in  the  church  found 
her  old  hope  false  and  delusive.  She  was  struck  with  deep  convic- 
tion, and  in  a  few  days  was  filled  with  joy  and  peace  in  believing. 
She  immediately  visited  her  friends  and  relations  from  house  to 
house,  warned  them  of  their  danger  in  a  most  solemn  and  faithful 
manner,  and  pleaded  with  them  to  repent  and  seek  religion.  This  as 
a  mean  was  accompanied  with  the  divine  blessing  to  the  awaken- 
ing of  many.  About  this  time  the  ears  of  all  in  that  congregation 
seemed  to  be  open  to  receive  the  word  preached,  almost  every  ser- 
mon was  accompanied  with  the  power  of  God  to  the  awakening  of 
sinners." 

"  In  the  summer  of  1798,  at  the  administration  of  the  sacrament 
of  the  supper  in  July,  on  Monday  the  Lord  graciously  poured  out 
his  spirit,  a  very  general  awakening  took  place.  Perhaps  but  few 
families  in  the  congregation  could  be  found  who  less  or  more  were 
not  struck  with  an  awful  sense  of  their  lost  estate." 

A  blessing  appeared  to  follow  the  labors  of  this  man  and  the 
other  preachers  of  the  gospel  in  the  new  settlements,  from  time  to 
time  in  different  places,  till  the  year  1800,  when  an  excitement 
commenced,  which,  for   influence,  duration,  and  extent,  has  been 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  377 

unequalled  in  the  southern  and  western  States ;  and  as  pervading 
and  resistless,  and  as  fertile  in  novelties  as  that  which  spread  over 
the  middle  and  eastern  States  between  the  years  1740  and  1750,  in 
which  Edwards,  Tennent,  Davenport,  Blair,  Wheelock,  Davies,  and 
others,  took  a  prominent  part. 

The  first  laborers  in  this  work  were  McGready,  Hodge  and  McGee. 
At  first  it  was  but  a  powerful  excitement,  soon  it  was  accompanied 
with  bodily  exercises  of  a  strange  and  unaccountable  nature,  which 
for  a  time  bewildered  the  judgments  of  the  most  clear-sighted 
ministers,  and  are  with  difficulty  accounted  for  at  this  day.  Previous 
to  the  June  sacrament,  in  his  Red  River  congregation,  McGready 
was  greatly  depressed  on  account  of  the  state  of  religion  in  his  own 
charge  and  in  the  congregation  around  him.  In  conversation  with 
an  elder  he  told  him  his  distress,  and  his  mournful  anticipations. 
His  elder  began  to  tell  him  his  own  exercises,  which  were  full  of 
hope  and  expectation,  and  among  other  things  told  him  of  a  dream 
he  had  lately  had,  about  seeing  him  and  Hodge  and  McGee  catch- 
ing abundance  of  fish  on  the  side  of  a  dry  ragged  mountain,  out  of 
a  little  clear  stream  that  brake  from  the  summit.  The  effect  of 
the  elder's  conversation  on  McGready  was  cheering,  awaking 
anticipations  of  success,  like  the  dream  heard  by  Gideon  in  the 
enemy's  camp.  These  brethren  just  mentioned  assisted  at  the  June 
meeting,  in  1800,  and  before  the  close  a  most  wonderful  excitement 
commenced.  Of  this  McGready  says,  "  But  the  year  1800  exceeds 
all  that  eyes  ever  beheld  on  earth.  In  June  the  sacrament  was 
administered  at  Red  River.  On  Monday  multitudes  were  struck 
under  awful  conviction.  The  cries  of  the  distressed  filled  the  whole 
house."  From  this  place  it  spread  that  summer  wherever  meetings 
for  continued  preaching  were  held,  in  Kentucky,  Tennessee  and  Ohio  ; 
and  ultimately  over  the  whole  South  and  West. 

Soon  after  the  commencement  of  this  excitement,  persons  began  to 
be  struck  down  during  religious  exercises,  lying  like  persons  in  a 
swoon  for  a  length  of  time  ;  and  then  rise  with  songs  of  praise  for 
the  deliverance  they  had  experienced  of  a  spiritual  nature.  This 
falling  was  at  first  preceded  by  great  anxiety  of  mind  on  the  subject 
of  salvation,  and  succeeded  by  joyful  exercises.  The  subjects,  una- 
ble to  move  or  speak,  were  entirely  sensible,  and  were  often  deeply 
exercised,  and  could  tell  many  things  that  passed  around  them  in 
that  apparently  lifeless  state.  After  a  time,  persons  who  had  not 
expressed  or  felt  any  peculiar  anxiety  were  stricken  down  at  the 
meetings,  and  rose  rejoicing.  The  account  which  these  persons 
gave  of  their  mental  exercises  and  their  religious  experience,  was 


378  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

such  as  to  satisfy  the  most  rigid  inquiries.  And  this  exercise  be- 
came connected  in  the  minds  of  people  generally,  with  conversion  ; 
by  what  invisible  link  no  one  pretended  to  declare,  or  what  was  the 
peculiar  influence  upon  the  mind.  The  pious  and  thoughtful,  at 
first,  were  amazed,  and  afraid  to  oppose  what  appeared  to  be  con- 
nected indissolubly  with  the  work  of  God ;  and  finally,  for  a  time, 
gave  in  to  the  opinion  that  it  was  a  necessary  part  of  the  revival, 
and,  being  according  to  the  will  of  God,  must  not  be  opposed. 

People  came  in  crowds  to  the  meetings  that  were  held,  to  satisfy 
the  demand  for  preaching,  on  horseback,  in  wagons,  and  on  foot, 
and  remained  on  the  ground  for  days  ;  and  continued  engaged  day 
and  night,  in  religious  services,  with  little  intermission,  listening  to 
sermons  and  exhortations,  and  uniting  in  prayer  and  praise. 

The  report  of  this  extensive  and  most  unusual  excitement  soon 
reached  North  Carolina ;  and  the  old  friends  and  hearers  of  Mc- 
Gready  and  Hodge  were  moved  with  great  anxiety  to  witness  the 
revival  of  God's  work  as  they  had  experienced  in  days  past  them- 
selves, or  as  they  now  heard  it  was  manifested  in  the  West. 

In  August,  1801,  a  communion  season  was  held  at  Cross  Roads, 
in  Orange  county.  The  stated  minister,  Wm.  Paisley,  was  assisted 
by  Rev.  Messrs.  Dr.  Caldwell  and  Leonard  Prather,  and  two  young 
licentiates,  Hugh  Shaw  and  Ebenezer  B.  Currie.  Nothing  of 
especial  interest  appeared  in  the  congregation  during  the  days  pre- 
ceding the  Sabbath,  or  during  the  administration  of  the  ordinance. 
Great  solemnity  prevailed,  mingled  with  evident  anxiety  as  well 
as  prayer,  among  Christians,  that  God  would  bless  the  congrega- 
tion and  revive  his  work.  On  Monday,  the  28th,  the  public  ser- 
vices were  conducted  by  Messrs.  Prather  and  Shaw,  without  any 
expression  or  appearance  of  emotion  among  the  people.  The  pas- 
tor arose  to  dismiss  the  people,  intending  first  to  say  a  few  words 
expressive  of  his  sorrow  that  apparently  no  advance  had  been  made 
in  bringing  sinners  to  God.  Overwhelmed  with  his  sensations  of 
distress  that  God  had  imparted  no  blessings  to  his  people,  he  stood 
silent  a  few  moments  and  then  sat  down.  A  solemn  stillness  per- 
vaded the  congregation.  In  a  few  moments  he  rose  again  ;  before 
he  uttered  a  word,  a  young  man  from  Tennessee,  who  had  been  in- 
terested in  the  revival  there,  and  had  been  telling  the  people  of 
Cross  Roads,  during  the  meeting,  much  about  the  state  of  things  in 
the  West,  raised  up  his  hands  and  cried  out,"  Stand  still  and  see 
the  salvation  of  God  !"  In  a  few  moments  the  silence  was  broken 
by  sobs,  groans  and  cries,  rising  commingled  from  all  parts  of  the 
house.     All  thoughts  of  dismissing  the  congregation  at  once  van- 


REV.    JAMES     m'gREADY.  379 

ished.  The  remainder  of  the  day  was  spent  in  the  exercises  of 
prayer,  exhortation,  singing,  personal  conversation,  and  midnight 
came  before  the  congregation  could  be  persuaded  to  go  to  their 
respective  homes.  The  excitement  continued  for  a  length  of 
time,  and  many  were  hopefully  converted  to  God.  No  irregulari- 
ties appeared  in  this  commencement  of  the  great  excitement  in 
North  Carolina  ;  the  sobs  and  groans  and  cries  for  mercy  were 
unusual,  but  seemed  justified  by  the  deep  feeling  of  individuals  on 
account  of  the  great  interests  concerned. 

In  October  following,  the  usual  fall  communion  was  held  in 
Hawfields,  the  other  part  of  Mr.  Paisley's  charge.  The  expression 
of  feeling  was  great  from  the  first ;  the  people  from  Cross  Roads 
were  there  in  their  fervency  of  excitement  and  hope  ;  and  multi- 
tudes whom  the  report  of  what  had  been  done  at  the  August 
meeting  drew  together,  were  full  of  expectation,  some  wondering, 
and  some  seeking  their  salvation.  People  from  a  distance  came 
in  their  wagons,  and  remained  on  the  ground  all  night.  The 
meeting  was  continued  for  five  days  without  intermission  ;  the 
various  religious  services  of  prayer,  singing,  sermons,  exhortations 
and  personal  conversations  succeeding  each  other,  with  short  inter- 
vals for  refreshment  during  the  day,  and  a  few  hours  for  sleep  du- 
ring the  night.  Impressions  of  a  religious  nature  were  very  general 
and  very  deep,  and  in  a  great  multitude  of  cases  abiding.     This 

WAS  THE  FIRST  CAMP-MEETING    IN  NORTH   CAROLINA.       They  SOOn 

became  common  all  over  the  South  and  West.  Log-cabins  were 
built  at  the  accustomed  or  designed  place  of  meeting  in  sufficient 
numbers  to  accommodate  a  large  assembly  ;  and  from  an  occasion- 
al meeting,  they  became  regular  appointments,  which  are  not  yet 
entirely  discontinued.  Once  or  twice  a  year  the  congregations  as- 
semble at  their  usual  place  of  worship,  and  continue  on  the  ground 
some  three  or  four  days,  or  more  if  desired.  This  custom  has  its 
conveniences  in  accommodating  those  who  live  at  a  distance  from 
regular  preaching,  and  also  its  inconvenience ;  and  is  differently 
estimated  in  different  neighborhoods,  and  is  passing  away  from 
some,  but  is  retained  in  Cross  Roads  and  Hawfields  in  its  original 
spirit. 

The  excitement  spread  rapidly  over  the  congregations  in  the 
upper  part  of  Orange  Presbytery,  which  then  included  all  the 
State  east  of  the  Yadkin  river,  and  in  the  early  part  of  the  yea  r 
1802,  the  Presbytery  of  Concord,  embracing  the  section  of  the 
State  west  of  the  Yadkin,  felt  its  influence  ;  and  the  eastern  part 


380  SKETCHES   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

of  the  State,  now  embraced  by  Fayetteville  Presbytery,  also  began 
to  be  visited. 

The  bodily  exercises  were  intermingled  in  the  meetings  in  Caro- 
lina as  they  were  in  the  West,  but  in  neither  place  had  they,  at 
this  period,  assumed  the  remarkable  extravagance  to  which  they 
afterwards  arose  in  some  parts  of  the  country.  Among  the 
thoughtful  these  exercises  caused  great  anxiety  ;  "  were  they  the 
work  of  God  ?  were  they  the  necessary  accompaniments  of  the 
work  ?  or  were  they  accidental  things  ?  or  were  they  delusions  ?" 
were  questions  that  led  to  many  discussions.  The  opinion  that 
finally  prevailed  most  generally  was,  that  they  were  inseparable 
accompaniments  of  the  true  work  of  God.  This  opinion  pre- 
vailed for  some  years,  and  slowly  gave  way  to  the  more  correct 
conclusion,  that  in  all  cases  they  were  accidental  circum- 
stances and  not  necessary,  and  in  many  cases  were  entirely  de- 
lusive. 

The  ministers  west  of  the  Yadkin  were  much  exercised  on  the 
subject  of  the  revival  in  the  West,  and  in  Orange  Presbytery,  and 
also  about  the  accompanying  exercises.  Until  1802,  however, 
no  appearance  of  revival  was  seen  in  their  congregations.  Some 
years  previous,  as  has  been  noticed  in  the  proper  place,  there  had 
been  some  precious  works  of  grace  in  Iredell  and  Cabarrus  coun- 
ties, but  the  congregations  of  the  Presbytery  were  not  generally 
visited  ;  and  now  there  was  a  feeling  of  anxiety  manifested  every- 
where. 

Rev.  David  Caldwell,  of  Guilford,  appointed  a  meeting  to  be 
held  at  Bell's  meeting-house,  near  Bell's  Mills,  on  Deep  River,  in 
Randolph  county,  on  the  last  week  of  January,  1802,  and  invited 
the  brethren  west  of  the  Yadkin  to  attend,  and  bring  some  of 
their  people  with  them,  and  witness  and  share  in  the  work  then 
in  progress.  Four  of  the  ministers,  and  about  one  hundred  of 
their  people,  attended.  The  pastor  of  the  extensive  congregation 
of  Thyatira,  in  Rowan  county,  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  a  man  of 
sound  and  extensive  theological  attainments,  of  scientific  and 
literary  acquirements  above  most  of  his  cotemporaries,  anxious 
about  the  revival,  but  strongly  prejudiced  against  considering  the 
exercises  as  a  part  of  the  work  of  the  spirit,  and  through  his  pre- 
judices against  them  very  much  inclined  to  doubt  the  genuineness 
of  the  whole  work,  yet  desirous  of  a  revival  amongst  his  people, 
went  and  took  some  of  his  people  to  witness  the  effects  of  that 
meeting.  Lewis  F.  Wilson,  pastor  of  Concord  and  Fourth  Creek 
in   Iredell,  less  prejudiced  against  the  work  than  Mr.  McCorkle, 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  381 

but  not  prepared  to  vindicate  altogether  the  exercises,  though  he 
greatly  desired  a  revival  in  his  charge,  a  man  of  ardent  tempera- 
ment, great  self-possession,  sound  mind,  and  much  acquaintance 
with  the  world,  went  accompanied  by  some  of  his  charge.  Jo- 
seph D.  Kilpatrick,  of  Third  Creek,  of  warm  heart,  and  ardent 
spirit,  anxious  for  a  revival  in  his  charge,  and  not  anxious  about 
the  attending  circumstances  of  swoons  or  exercises,  might  his 
people  be  revived,  went  and  took  some  of  his  people  with  him. 
The  venerable  James  Hall,  of  Bethany,  who  had  served  his  coun- 
try and  the  church  in  the  Revolution,  and  had  been  blessed  with 
a  revival  soon  after  its  close,  tremblingly  alive  to  the  interests  of 
religion  and  the  welfare  of  his  people,  believing  in  the  work  as  of 
God,  and  not  much  troubled  about  the  accompanying  exercises, 
went  with  a  larger  company  of  his  people  than  either  of  the 
others. 

The  preachers  reached  the  ground  on  Friday  evening,  and 
took  some  part  in  the  services.  The  people  came  up  on  Saturday 
morning,  with  their  wagons.  The  meeting  proved  to  be  one  of 
great  excitement,  and  the  people  that  came  from  a  distance  shared 
largely  in  it.  Dr.  Hall's  people  began  to  be  exercised  on  Friday 
night  before  they  readied  the  place  of  meeting,  while  they  were 
encamped  about  five  miles  off.  During  the  meeting,  all  the  com- 
panies, one  after  another,  were  more  or  less  affected.  The  breth- 
ren returned  to  their  charges  satisfied  that  the  excitement  was  a 
revival  of  true  religion,  and  these  bodily  exercises  were  connected 
in  a  manner  inexplicable,  and  not  to  be  questioned. 

Dr.  McCorkle  held  out  a  long  time,  at  first  rather  confirmed 
in  his  opinions  that  the  work  could  not  be  of  God,  there  was  so 
much  disorder.  Conversations  with  the  new  converts,  and  those 
under  conviction  while  struck  down,  had  gone  far  towards  chang- 
ing his  mind,  when  a  messenger  came  to  him,  as  he  was  walking 
round  in  deep  thought,  bearing  a  request  from  his  son,  who  had 
been  struck  down,  to  come  and  pray  for  him.  He  went  and 
kneeled  by  him  and  began  to  pray,  and  as  he  prayed  his  whole 
heart  and  soul  became  so  interested  in  the  work  that  was  going 
on,  and  so  filled  with  desires  for  the  conversion  of  all  the  world, 
that  when  he  arose  his  doubts  had  given  place  to  deep  conviction 
that  the  work  of  God  was  going  on  notwithstanding  the  bodily 
exercises. 


382  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"An  Interesting  Narrative  of  the  Revival  of  Religion  in  that  part  of 
North  Carolina  which  lies  southwest  of  the  Yadkin  River.  In 
a  Letter  from  the  Rev.  James  Hall. 

"  Iredell  county,  North  Carolina,  May  4,  1802. 

"  Sir  : — Please  to  accept  of  my  grateful  acknowledgments  for 
the  copy  of  your  proposals  for  publishing  extracts  from  the  Evan- 
gelical Magazine,  &c. ;  you  may  expect  my  interest  in  promoting 
your  laudable  design.  As  the  revival  of  religion  has,  through  the 
goodness  and  mercy  of  God,  reached  this  part  of  his  vineyard,  a 
few  sketches  as  to  its  rise  and  progress  in  that  part  of  our  State 
which  lies  between  Yadkin  and  Catawba  Rivers,  may  not  be  un- 
acceptable to  you  ;  and  if  they  should  contribute  to  the  promotion 
of  your  design,  will  tend  to  our  mutual  satisfaction. 

"  Last  August  the  revival  began  in  Orange  and  Guilford 
counties,  which  lie  northeast  of  the  Yadkin.  To  those  the  work 
was  chiefly  confined  until  the  last  week  of  January,  at  which  time 
a  general  meeting  was  appointed  in  Randolph  county,  to  the  south- 
ward of  Guilford,  where  some  of  my  fellow-presbyters  and  myself 
were  invited  to  attend.  Accordingly,  Dr.  McCorkle,  Messrs.  Lewis 
F.  Wilson,  Joseph  D.  Kilpatrick,  and  myself,  set  out  with  about 
100  of  our  people,  having  to  go  from  fifty  to  eighty  miles.  We 
who  were  ministers  went  on  horseback,  and  the  rest  in  wagons. 
My  people,  about  forty  in  number,  were  alone,  except  two  families 
who  travelled  with  them.  The  clergy  passed  on  before  the 
wagons,  and  arrived  at  the  place  of  meeting  on  Friday.  That 
night  my  people  lodged  within  five  miles  of  the  place,  where  a  re- 
markable circumstance  happened  among  them.  At  evening  prayer 
in  the  house  where  they  lodged,  a  man  about  thirty  years  old  be- 
came deeply  affected,  who  I  believe  was  pious  from  an  early  pe- 
riod of  youth.  Impressions  immediately  ran  through  the  assembly 
like  fire  along  a  train  of  powder ;  so  that  in  a  very  short  time 
almost  all  the  young  people,  who  composed  about  three-fourths  of 
the  company,  became  religiously  exercised.  The  fathers  were 
filled  with  astonishment,  as  none  present  had  ever  beheld  such  a 
scene.  Nothing  but  cries  could  be  heard  for  a  considerable  time. 
When  those  had  in  a  measure  subsided,  the  fathers  spent  the 
greater  part  of  the  night  in  prayer  and  exhortations. 

Public  worship  was  begun  next  day  before  they  arrived  at  the 
place  of  meeting.  They  took  their  seats,  and  attended  with  com- 
posure until  the  assembly  separated,  which  was  in  the  evening 
twilight.     They  then  retired  to  their  tent.     I  did  not  follow  for 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  383 

about  half  an  hour,  allowing  them  some  time  of  relaxation,  as  I 
expected  our  meeting  would  be  a  tender  scene.  When  I  went  to 
them  they  exhibited  to  me  a  spectacle  truly  affecting.  Not  less 
than  twenty  of  the  young  people  were  lying  in  sore  distress,  and 
uttering  ardent  cries  for  mercy.  A  multitude  had  collected  round 
them  before  I  came.  My  brethren  and  I  could  do  nothing  but 
pray  for  them,  as  they  were  in  no  situation  for  conversation. 

"  Some  of  them,  who,  I  believe,  were  pious  before,  obtained 
comfort  that  night ;  the  others  remained  in  distress.  Dr.  McCorkle 
had  previously  mentioned  to  me  his  desire  that,  his  young  people 
and  mine  should  spend  the  evening  together.  After  some  time 
spent  with  us  in  prayer,  he  returned  to  his  young  people,  and  found 
the  greater  part  of  them  religiously  exercised.  Next  morning, 
which  was  the  Sabbath,  Mr.  Kilpatrick  came  to  me  in  much  dis- 
tress, and  told  me  he  feared  God  had  forsaken  his  little  flock,  as 
not  one  of  them  was  affected.  About  that  time  his  young  people, 
and  some  of  Dr.  McCorkle's,  retired  to  the  woods,  and  spent  some 
time  in  social  prayer.  When  the  hour  of  public  worship  approach- 
ed, and  they  were  about  to  return,  some  of  them  were  struck 
down ;  and  in  a  short  time  the  greater  part  of  them  were  so  af- 
fected that  others  were  obliged  to  supply  them  with  fire  and  camp- 
furniture  ;  and  they  lay  there  until  nine  o'clock  the  next  day,  be- 
fore they  could  return  to  camp.  In  fine,  before  our  return  home 
more  than  nine-tenths  of  our  young  people  were  deeply  impressed 
with  a  sense  of  the  great  importance  of  salvation. 

"  Only  two  families  of  Mr.  Wilson's  people  went  with  him,  as 
they  lay  most  remote  from  the  place  of  meeting  ;  but  of  those  who 
went,  as  great  a  proportion  were  affected  as  of  others.  I  would 
not  have  entered  into  such  a  minute  detail  of  so  many  local  cir- 
cumstances, which,  singly  viewed,  might  not  appear  very  interesting 
to  the  public,  only  for  this  consideration  :  In  all  our  charges,  those 
who  followed  us  to  that  place  were  of  those  families  who  had  been 
principally  engaged  in  promoting  and  holding  religious  societies, 
and  were  engaged  in  fervent  prayer  for  a  time  of  refreshing  from 
the  presence  of  the  Lord ;  some  of  them  for  more  than  eighteen 
months  before  that  time.  And  should  this  little  narrative  be  thought 
worthy  of  the  public  eye,  my  design  in  it  is  to  encourage  God's 
children  to  be  fervent  at  the  throne  of  grace,  not  only  in  secret, 
but  social  prayer.  From  what  I  have  known  of  the  fervency  and 
persevering  importunity  of  those  families  upon  whom  that  remark- 
able effusion  of  divine  grace  fell,  I  think  I  never  saw  a  geometrical 
proposition  demonstrated  with  more  clear  evidence,  than  I  have 


384  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

seen  an  answer  given  to  the  prayers  of  those  pious  parents  who 
sent  or  conducted  their  children  on  that  happy  tour.  As  the  greater 
part  of  our  young  people  received  comfort  before  they  returned 
home,  it  is  easier  to  conceive  of  than  describe  the  joy  of  the  parents 
and  children  at  their  meeting.  On  my  return  I  preached  at  four 
different  places  before  I  came  home  ;  consequently  my  people  were 
at  home  a  Sabbath  before  my  arrival.  Societies  were  holden  in 
three  different  parts  of  my  charge,  in  all  of  which  the  work  broke 
out  like  fire,  and  was  making  rapid  progress  before  I  had  an  op- 
portunity of  attending  even  at  one  society. 

"  Our  meeting  in  Randolph  was  on  the  first  week  of  January. 
Since  that  time  religion  has  made  rapid  progress  among  my  people ; 
and  so  happy  are  we  in  unanimity  of  sentiments  respecting  that 
glorious  work,  there  is  not  one  among  us  who  will  suffer  himself 
to  be  accounted  an  opposer,  and  very  few  seem  to  view  it  with 
disgust.  But  in  many  of  our  neighboring  societies  it  is  far  other- 
wise. Many  of  our  people  are  opposed  to  the  work  ;  but  of  those 
some  of  the  most  obstinate  have  already  submitted  to  it  as  a  display 
of  the  mighty  power  of  God. 

"  There  are  two  denominations  scattered  among  us,  who  bear 
the  Christian  name,  who  are  almost  to  one  individual  opposed  to 
the  work.  But  this  need  not  be  thought  strange,  as  it  has  been  a 
uniform  case  with  them  to  oppose  themselves  to  what  other  de- 
nominations call  the  effects  of  the  effusion  of  the  Holy  Spirit  on 
the  church  of  Christ. 

"  As  to  the  progress  of  the  work  in  the  counties  of  Orange, 
Guilford  and  Randolph,  you  will  probably  have  an  account  from 
the  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  whose  bounds  include 
those  counties. 

"  From  a  view  of  the  advantages  apparently  arising  from  gen- 
eral meetings,  the  members  of  the  Presbytery  of  Concord,  of 
which  I  am  a  member,  appointed  one  on  the  last  week  of  January, 
near  the  centre  of  this  county.  The  number  of  wagons  which 
came  to  the  ground,  besides  riding  carriages,  was  about  108.  The 
number  of  persons  who  attended  on  Sabbath,  about  four  thousand. 
Divine  service  began  on  Friday  at  2  o'clock.  At  that  juncture  a 
rain  began  to  fall,  which  continued  until  near  night.  A  consider- 
able number  were  exercised  that  evening.  Next  morning  a  con- 
siderable heavy  sleet  began  to  fall  about  9  o'clock,  then  snow, 
which  terminated  in  a  heavy  rain.  This  continued  until  four  in 
the  afternoon ;  and  the  day  was  without  exception  the  most  in- 
clement of  any  during  the  whole  winter.     Notwithstanding  this, 


REV.    JAMES    m'gREADY.  385 

the  people  collected  at  ten,  in  two  assemblies,  and  all  ages  and 
sexes  stood  there  exposed  until  sunsetting.  Exercises  went  on 
rapidly,  and  large  numbers  were  deeply  affected.  The  work 
went  on  gradually  increasing,  until  Tuesday  morning,  except  a 
few  hours  before  day  on  Monday  morning,  when  the  camp  was 
chiefly  silent.  At  9  on  Tuesday  morning  the  people  were  assem- 
bled in  the  centre  o£  the  square,  and  after  some  time  spent  in 
prayer  and  exhortation,  were  dismissed.  Many  who  went  away 
unaffected  were  struck  with  convictions  on  their  return,  and  others 
after  they  went  home.  No  attempt  was  made  to  ascertain  the 
number  of  those  who  were  affected  with  religious  exercises,  but 
there  must  have  been  during  the  meeting,  several  hundreds. 
There  were  present  eight  Presbyterian,  one  Baptist,  and  two 
Methodist  ministers. 

"  Two  weeks  after  the  above  meeting  we  held  another,  near 
Morganton,  60  miles  to  the  westward.  The  country  there  is  thinly 
inhabited,  and  the  professors  of  religion  few  in  number ;  yet  a  con- 
siderable number  were  deeply  affected,  and  circumstances  were  as 
promising  as  could  be  expected  from  the  state  of  the  country. 

"  On  the  second  week  of  March  we  held  another  general  meet- 
ing, ten  miles  to  the  southward  of  the  first,  at  the  Cross  Roads, 
near  the  lower  end  of  this  county.  The  number  of  wagons,  be- 
sides riding  carriages,  was  262.  Divine  service  began  on  Friday 
afternoon,  and  we  continued  together  until  Tuesday  at  noon. 
Religious  impressions  began  to  appear  in  an  early  period  of  the 
business,  aad  had  a  remarkable  growth  until  the  close  of  the  meet- 
ing. Many  hundreds  were  constrained  to  cry  aloud  for  mercy,  of 
whom  many  went  home  rejoicing,  as  well  as  others  who  came  to 
the  place  under  deep  distress.  The  number  of  those  who  were 
present  on  Sabbath  was  estimated  from  8000  to  10,000.  They 
were  divided  into  four  worshipping  assemblies.  Those  were  all 
numerous.  Of  ministers  present  as  far  as  recollection  serves, 
there  were  fourteen  Presbyterians,  three  Methodists,  two  Baptists, 
one  Episcopalian,  one  Dutch  Calvinist,  and  two  German  Luther- 
ans. It  was  pleasing  to  those  who  were  friends  of  vital  piety  to 
see  such  a  gradual  and  increasing  work  going  on,  day  after  day, 
until  Monday,  on  which  day  and  that  night,  I  suppose  that  the 
number  of  exercised  persons  was  equal  to  all  who  were  affected  on 
the  preceding  days.  Many  left  the  place  with  comfortable  sensa- 
tions of  mind,  both  of  those  who  had  been  formerly  and  latterly 
convicted ;  and  many  others  went  away  under  deep  and  heavy  con- 
victions. 

25 


\ 

386  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  Two  weeks  after  this  meeting  we  held  another  in  Mecklenburg 
county,  near  the  southern  boundary  of  this  State.  The  number 
present  was  about  a  third  less  than  that  last  mentioned. 

"  Twelve  Presbyterian  ministers,  one  Baptist  and  one  Methodist, 
attended.  Worship  began,  as  usual,  on  Friday,  and  continued 
until  near  noon  on  Tuesday.  Never  did  I  see  a  set  of  men  labor 
with  more  assiduity  than  the  ministers  labored  from  Friday  noon 
until  Sabbath  night  at  9  o'clock,  during  which  time,  among  the 
vast  multitude  which  attended,  not  more  than  ten  persons  were 
visibly  affected  with  religious  exercises.  When  night  came  on, 
the  people  had  assembled  at  five  different  places  in  the  encamp- 
ment, at  which  the  ministers  attended.  Near  the  above  hour,  reli- 
gious exercises  began  in  all  the  assemblies ;  and,  from  what 
could  be  ascertained,  there  were  not  more  than  fifteen,  perhaps 
not  more  than  five  minutes  of  time,  when  the  work  began  in  those 
several  places.  Exercises,  prayers  and  exhortations  continued 
during  the  whole  night.  That  dispensation,  in  the  eye  of  the  im- 
partial inquirer,  is  sufficient  to  obviate  the  objection  against  the 
work,  "  That  it  is  the  work  of  man — from  the  power  of  oratory," 
&c,  as  I  am  certain  there  were,  before  that  time,  many  instances 
of  more  powerful  oratory  than  we  are  capable  of  exhibiting  at  that 
late  period,  in  such  an  exhausted  state.  Nor  could  such  effects 
be  produced  by  communications  from  one  assembly  to  another, 
either  by  intelligence  or  noise  ;  for  no  two  of  the  several  assem- 
blies knew  how  each  other  was  affected  until  a  considerable  later 
period  of  the  night.  At  break  of  clay  public  instructions  ceased 
until  nine  in  the  morning.  At  that  time  a  sermon  was  preached 
at  the  public  stand  in  the  centre  of  the  encampment.  Few,  if 
any,  were  exercised  until  after  sermon,  when  six  ministers  conti- 
nued worship  by  prayer  in  rotation.  This  exhibited  a  scene  to 
which  I  never  saw  anything  similar.  I  am  well  assured  that  many 
more  than  a  hundred  sunk  clown  in  less  than  half  an  hour  ;  and 
what  was  remarkable  in  such  a  scene,  there  was  scarcely  a  cry  to 
be  heard.  This  I  perfectly  recollect,  that  the  speakers  were  dis- 
tinctly heard  during  the  concert  of  prayer.  But  fervent  supplica- 
tions and  cries  for  mercy  soon  began.  Shortly  afterwards,  one  of 
the  ministers  rose  to  read,  and  make  a  few  observations  on  the 
vision  of  the  dry  bones  (Ezek.,  37  chap.),  but  such  were  the  cries, 
and  the  astonished  state  of  the  audience,  that  I  suppose  he  could 
not  call  the  attention  of  twenty  persons  :  he  read  a  few  verses  and 
sat  down.  Those  in  distress  were  generally  taken  to  their  respec- 
tive tents,  where  many  followed.     Some  of  the  ministers  continued 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  387 

at  the  public  stand,  others  went  to  the  tents,  where  crowds  attended. 
The  work  went  on  all  that  day,  and  a  great  part  of  the  following 
night ;  so  that,  I  believe,  could  the  aggregate  have  been  ascer- 
tained, although  the  work  began  at  so  late  a  period,  as  great  a 
proportion  was  affected  as  had  been  at  any  former  meeting. 

"  At  our  first  meeting  in  this  county,  we  had  prepared  to  admin- 
ister the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Supper ;  but  so  numerous  were 
the  persons  in  distress,  and  so  loud  were  the  cries,  that  we  declined 
the  administration  of  the  ordinance.  At  the  two  latter,  we  removed 
the  communion  table  to  a  considerable  distance  from  the  places  of 
preaching,  where  we  administered  the  ordinance  without  embar- 
rassment. At  the  first,  we  had  about  six  hundred,  and  at  the  se- 
cond, near  five  hundred  communicants. 

"  At  all  our  meetings,  a  considerable  number  professed  to  ob- 
tain the  comforts  of  religion,  and  of  those,  I  have  not  heard  of 
one  whose  conduct  has  dishonored  their  profession.  Praying  so- 
cieties are  formed  in  all  our  congregations,  both  supplied  and 
vacant.  In  those  the  work  seems  to  be  promoted  as  much,  and 
often  more,  than  in  our  congregational  assemblies.  The  face  of 
the  public,  in  point  of  morals,  is  evidently  changed  for  the  better, 
even  in  those  places  where  the  good  work  has  not  reached.  It 
is  to  me  no  inconsiderable  proof  that  the  work  is  carried  on 
by  the  same  divine,  omnipresent  Spirit,  when  I  behold  such  a 
sameness  of  exercises  in  the  different  subjects. 

"  It  is  granted,  that  those  exercises,  or  affections,  which  are 
merely  bodily,  are  very  different,  which  no  doubt  arises  from  the 
different  temperament  or  habit  of  body.  The  same  difference  is 
obvious  in  different  constitutions  or  habits  of  body,  as  to  swoon- 
ing, outcries,  &c,  when  the  matter  of  grief  or  terror  is  the  same, 
and  the  distress  equally  pungent.  But  those  exercises  which  are 
mental,  appear  generally  to  run  in  the  same  channel.  This  can 
neither  be  from  sympathy  nor  imitation  ;  for  I  have  observed 
the  same  in  the  State  of  Tennessee  more  than  eighteen  months  ago, 
as  well  as  in  various  places  in  this  State,  where  the  subjects  had 
never  seen  any  other  person  in  a  similar  situation.  The  first  cry 
is  usually  for  mercy,  although  I  have  attended  upon  sundry  per- 
sons, who,  when  first  struck,  have  been  so  overwhelmed  with  a 
sense  of  guilt,  that  they  have  told  me,  they  were  afraid  to  ask  for 
mercy.  But  this  state  is  usually  of  short  continuance.  And 
among  the  hundreds  to  whose  exercises  I  have  attended,  have 
been  pleasingly  surprised  to  find  so  few  cases  of  despondency,  and 
not  one  instance  of  what  may  be  called  despair.     This  has  been 


388  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  more  remarkable,  when  such  sluices  of  conviction  have  been 
opened  upon  the  consciences  of  sinners,  as  to  extort  such  bitter 
outcries,  and  produce  such  terrible  effects  upon  the  body.  After 
fervent  cries  for  mercy,  there  are  usually  complaints  of  unbelief, 
obstinacy  and  hardness  of  heart,  together  with  importunate  pleading 
that  those  may  be  renewed.  Then  there  will  appear  glimmering 
hopes  of  salvation  through  a  Redeemer,  who  seems  to  appear  afar 
off.  Here  are  pleadings  indeed  !  Sometimes  one  person  of  the 
adorable  Trinity,  and  sometimes  another  is  addressed,  according 
to  his  respective  province  in  the  economy  of  man's  salvation. 
This  is  more  especially  the  case  with  those  who  have  been  pre- 
viously well  instructed  in  the  doctrines  of  the  gospel.  In  the  sup- 
plications of  those  who  are  ignorant,  there  is  not  such  a  variety  ; 
but  even  their  addresses,  especially  those  of  children,  are  really 
astonishing.  When  hopes  of  pardon  appear,  the  importunity,  if 
possible,  becomes  more  incessant.  Never  did  an  humble  and 
dutiful  child,  pleading  for  a  favor  from  a  compassionate  father, 
offer  more  humble,  fervent  and  affectionate  petitions,  than  are  here 
used  for  acceptance  with  God  through  a  mediator.  O  for  faith, 
for  more  faith,  is  the  usual  cry.  When  the  patient  receives  comfort, 
he  generally  lies  silent ;  wrapt  in  deep  contemplation.  Then  some 
rise  in  raptures  of  joy  and  praise  ;  others  in  silence,  with  a  placid 
serenity  spread  over  the  countenance.  In  both  it  is  almost  incredi- 
ble whafchange  it  makes  on  the  countenance,  which  in  many  will 
be  visible,  not  only  for  days,  but  weeks. 

"  In  attending  on  some  of  those  cases,  I  have  often  thought, 
that  were  I  to  set  down  and  commit  to  writing  the  manner  in 
which  I  believe,  from  the  scriptures  of  truth,  the  spirit  of  God 
deals  with  a  sinner,  in  bringing  him  from  a  state  of  nature  to  a 
state  of  grace — from  the  time  he  is  first  convicted  of  the  evil  of 
sin  until  he  has  a  saving  discovery  of  the  mercy  of  God  through 
the  mediation  of  Christ,  I  know  not  how  I  could  succeed  better 
than  by  recording  the  exercises  of  some  on  whom  I  have  waited  ; 
although  as  to  others,  who  are  the  subjects  of  severe  exercises,  it 
is  evident  to  those  tolerably  well  read  in  the  anatomy  of  the 
human  heart,  that  though  they  rise  comfortable,  they  may  be  still  in 
the  bond  of  iniquity.  This  is  not  saying,  but  the  most  scrutinizing 
Christian  may  be  mistaken  as  to  the  experiences  or  exercises  of 
another .;  but  we  must  form  our  opinion  according  to  our  best  evi- 
dence drawn  from  the  word  of  God.  And  if  among  the  subjects 
of  the  present  work  some  should  persevere,  and  others  draw  back, 
this  is  no  more  than  can  be  expected  ;  as  the  production  will  be 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  389 

according  to  the  nature  of  the  soil  on  which  the  seed  of  the  word 
is  sown  in  the  human  heart.  When  comfort  is  not  obtained  in 
those  exercises,  the  subjects  are  generally  left  under  deep  convic- 
tions of  sin,  and  are  usually  exercised  again,  some  five  or  six  times 
before  they  obtain  comfort.  Of  those  who  have  received  comfort 
the  first  time  they  have  been  exercised,  I  have  not  known  any 
whose  religious  hopes  have  not  been  afterwards  shaken,  and  have 
fallen  under  exercises  again.  Frequently  such  will  rise  under 
clouds,  which  will  not  be  removed  until  they  have  undergone 
another,  perhaps  frequent  exercises,  before  their  comforts  be 
restored.  Those  exercises  do  not  appear  to  be  confined  to  those 
who  never  had  experienced  the  power  of  religion  before.  I  believe 
many  are  the  subjects  of  them  who  have  long  been  acquainted 
with  vital  piety.  This  answers  many  valuable  purposes,  as  it 
quickens  their  graces,  brightens  their  evidences,  attaches  them 
more  warmly  to  the  revival,  and  makes  them  more  assistant  to  the 
ministers  of  the  gospel. 

"  Nor  is  this  happy  revival  confined  to  those  who  are  under 
visible  bodily  exercises.  I  believe  that  many  more  are  effected  in 
what  may  be  called  God's  usual  way.  With  many  such  I  have 
conversed,  who  appear  to  be  under  deep  and  rational  conviction, 
and  who  think  they  have  no  valid  impressions,  because  they  are 
not  the  subjects  of  those  violent  exercises.  Some  of  this  class, 
with  whom  I  have  conversed,  who,  I  have  every  reason  to  believe, 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  benefits  of  Christ's  mediation,  dare 
not  appropriate  the  comforts  of  religion,  because  they  have  not 
those  ecstatic  joys  which  they  perceive  in  others.  It  is  a'matter 
of  gratitude  to  every  pious  mind  to  see  how  a  propitious  Provi- 
dence has  smiled  on  our  general  meetings.  These  have  instru- 
mentally  spread  the  work  two  hundred  miles,  in  a  greater  or  less 
degree,  from  east  to  west,  and  near  one  hundred  from  north  to 
south ;  though  in  those  bounds  a  very  small  minority  have  felt  its 
happy  effects.  But  the  work  is  evidently  spreading,  and  we  hope 
will  diffuse  itself  until  the  whole  be  leavened.  We  are  extremely 
happy  in  the  coalescence  of  our  Methodist  and  Baptist  brethren 
with  us  in  this  great  and  good  work.  Party  doctrines  are  laid 
aside,  and  nothing  heard  from  the  pulpit  but  the  practical  and  ex- 
perimental doctrines  of  the  gospel.  To-morrow  I  expect  to  set 
out  to  a  general  meeting,  appointed  near  the  boundary  of  Guilford 
and  Rowan  counties,  on  middle  ground  between  the  Presbyteries 
of  Orange  and  Concord.  Another  commences  on  Friday,  the  21st 
instant,  on  middle  ground  between  the  first  Presbytery  of  South 


390  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Carolina  and  Concord.     Our  members  are  to  divide  between  those 
meetings. 

"  May  13th.  This  day  I  returned  home  from  the  meeting  near 
the  Guilford  and  Rowan  boundary.  Five  Baptist,  four  Methodist, 
and  four  Presbyterian  ministers  attended.  The  place  of  meeting 
was  at  a  house  of  worship,  supplied  with  a  stated  pastor  of  the 
Baptist  church.  The  happy  fruits  of  our  meeting  at  Randolph 
now  appear  there.  So  great  is  the  work  there,  arising  from  that 
meeting,  that  the  pastor  of  that  church  baptized  twenty-eight  per- 
sons on  the  first  Sabbath  of  this  month.  Appearances  at  our 
general  meeting  were  much  as  above  described  at  other  places. 
Many  were  awakened,  and  a  considerable  number  professed  to 
obtain  the  comforts  of  religion.  A  letter  I  received  to-day,  so- 
liciting my  attendance  at  another  general  meeting,  in  Rutherford 
county,  eighty  miles  to  the  westward,  to  commence  on  the  first 
Friday  of  next  month,  at  which  I  expect  to  attend.  The  letter 
gives  pleasing  accounts  of  the  happy  effects  of  our  little  meeting 
near  Morgantown.  The  contemplated  meeting  is  to  be  about 
thirty  miles  to  the  southwest,  where  it  appears  that  the  happy  in- 
fluence of  the  other  meeting  has  reached  them. 

"  What  shall  we  render  to  the  gracious  King  of  Zion  for  his 
goodness  and  for  his  wonderful  works  to  the  unworthy  children  of 
men  !  What  I  have  written  are  mere  introductory  sketches  to 
what  might  be  said  on  what  I  have  seen  during  the  last  three 
months.  Volumes  might  be  written  on  the  subject.  Many  of  the 
scenes  to  which  I  have  been  witness  baffle  description.  At  a  com- 
munidk  in  my  own  church  on  the  first  Sabbath  of  this  month  we 
had  a  solemnity  from  Friday  noon  until  Tuesday  morning,  during 
which  time  there  was  scarcely  any  recess  of  exercises  day  or  night, 
and  a  far  greater  proportion  of  the  assembly  were  religiously  af- 
fected than  I  had  ever  seen  at  our  public  meetings.  May  God 
carry  on  his  work  until  righteousness  cover  the  earth  as  the  waters 
cover  the  seas,  and  the  nations  of  the  world  become  the  kingdoms 
of  our  Lord  and  of  his  Christ ! 

"I  am,  Sir,  your  affectionate  friend,  &c, 

"  James  Hall.'* 


REV.    JAMES     m'gREADY.  391 

"  Important  Letters  commMiiicated  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  M'Cor- 
kle,  North  Carolina,  through  the  hands  of  Mr.  John  Langdon, 
of  Salisbury,  Rowan  county. 

"letter  i. 

Dated  Westfield,  December  16,  1801. 
"  Sir, — I  had  before  received  some  imperfect  accounts  of  the  re- 
vival in  Guilford,  Caswell,  and  Orange  counties  ;  but  have  now 
received  a  more  perfect  account  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Flinn.  A  remark- 
able libertine,  says  he,  has  been  lately  struck  down,  and  the  stroke 
has  silenced  and  confounded  his  companions.  The  preacher  and 
people  frequently  remain  all  night  on  the  ground  in  prayer,  exhor- 
tation or  praise.  At  a  late  meeting  three  young  men  were  struck 
down  in  the  act  of  cutting  whips  to  correct  some  poor  negroes 
who  were  crying  for  mercy.  Our  brethren  from  Orange  have  in- 
vited us  to  meet  them  at  a  sacrament  in  Randolph  on  the  first  day 
of  the  New  Year.  I  design  to  attend.  May  the  work  come  this 
way." 


LETTER  II. 

"January  8,  1802. 

"  Sir, — I  now  sit  down  to  give  you  a  narrative  of  the  transac- 
tions at  Randolph,  commencing  on  Friday,  January  1,  1802,  and 
continuing  until  the  ensuing  Tuesday. 

"  On  Thursday,  the  last  day  of  the  last  year,  I  set  out  from 
home  for  Randolph,  and  lodged  in  Lexington  with  some  preachers, 
and  a  number  of  people,  mostly  from  Iredell,  going  on  to  the  same 
place.  The  evening  was  spent  in  prayer  and  exhortation,  without 
any  visible  effect.  Next  day  the  preachers  arrived  at  the  Ran- 
dolph meeting-house  ;  but  the  Iredell  company  lodged  five  miles 
behind. 

"  On  Saturday,  in  the  interval  of  two  sermons,  the  congregation 
(near  2,000)  were  informed  that  the  Iredell  company  were  reli- 
giously exercised,  in  a  sudden  and  surprising  matter,  at  evening 
prayer,  in  the  family  or  house  where  they  lodged.  This  struck 
with  seriousness  every  reflecting  mind,  because  the  effect  did  not 
appear  to  arise  from  oratory  or  sympathy,  the  causes  commonly 
assigned  for  this  work.  The  second  sermon  was  delivered  and  the 
benediction  pronounced  as  usual ;  but  the  people  paused,  as  if 
they  wished  not  to  part,  nor  go  either  to  their  homes  or  encamp- 
ments. 


392  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  Just  then  rose  a  speaker  to  give  a  short  parting  exhortation  : 
but  wonderful  to  tell,  as  if  by  an  electric  shock,  a  large  number  in 
every  direction,  men,  women,  children,  white  and  black,  fell  and 
cried  for  mercy ;  while  others  appeared,  in  eveiy  quarter,  either 
praying  for  the  fallen,  or  exhorting  bystanders  to  repent  and  be- 
lieve. This,  to  me  perfectly  new  and  sudden  sight,  I  viewed  with 
horror ;  and,  in  spite  of  all  my  previous  reasoning  on  Revivals, 
with  some  degree  of  disgust.  Is  it  possible,  said  I,  that  this  scene 
of  seeming  confusion  can  come  from  the  Spirit  of  God  ?  or  can  he 
who  called  light  from  darkness,  and  order  from  confusion,  educe 
light  and  order  from  such  a  dark  mental,  or  moral  chaos  as  this  ! 
Lord  God,  thou  knowest.  The  first  particular  object  that  arrested 
my  attention  was  a  poor  black  man  with  his  hands  raised  over  the 
heads  of  the  crowd,  and  shouting,  '  Glory,  glory  to  God  on  high.' 
I  hasted  towards  him  from  the  preaching-tent ;  but  was  stopt  to 
see  another  black  man  prostrate  on  the  ground,  and  his  aged  mo- 
ther on  her  knees  at  his  feet  in  all  the  agony  of  prayer  for  her  son. 
Near  him  was  a  black  woman,  grasping  her  mistress'  hand,  and 
crying,  '  O  mistress,  you  prayed  for  me  when  I  wanted  a  heart  to 
pray  for  myself.  Now  thank  God,  he  has  given  me  a  heart  to  pray 
for  you  and  everybody  else.'  I  then  passed  to  a  little  white  girl, 
about  seven  years  old.  She  was  reclining  with  her  eyes  closed 
on  the  arms  of  a  female  friend.  But  oh  !  what  a  serene  angelic 
smile  was  in  her  face  !  If  ever  heaven  was  enjoyed  in  any  little 
creature's  heart  it  was  enjoyed  in  her's.  Were  I  to  form  some 
notion  of  an  angel,  it  would  aid  my  conception  to  think  of  her.  I 
took  her  by  the  hand,  and  asked  how  she  felt,  she  raised  her  head, 
opened  her  eyes,  closed  them,  and  gently  sunk  into  her  former 
state.  I  met  her  next  day  with  two  or  three  of  her  little  compa- 
nions, I  asked  her  how  she  felt  yesterday.  '  0  how  happy,'  said 
the  dear  little  creature,  writh  an  ineffable  smile,  '  and  I  feel  so 
happy  now,  I  wish  everybody  was  as  happy  as  I  am.'  I  asked 
her  several  questions  relative  to  her  views  of  sin,  a  Saviour,  hap- 
piness and  heaven ;  and  she  answered  with  propriety,  and  as  I 
thought  rather  from  proper  present  feelings  than  from  past  doctri- 
nal or  educational  information  :  for  when  I  was  afterwards  called 
to  examine  her  in  order  to  communion,  I  found  her  defective  in 
this  kind  of  knowledge,  and  dissuaded  her  from  communicating  at 
that  time,  though  she  much  desired  it.  This  I  have  since  regret- 
ted, for  I  do  believe,  on  cool  reflection,  that  she  possessed  that  ex- 
perimental knowledge  of  salvation,  which  is  infinitely  preferable  to 
all  the  doctrinal  or  systematic  knowledge  in  the  world  without  it. 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  393 

"  But  to  return.  I  pressed  through  the  congregation  in  a  cir- 
cuitous direction,  to  the  preaching  tent,  viewing  one  in  the  agony  of 
prayer  ;  another  motionless,  speechless,  and  apparently  breathless  ; 
another  rising  in  triumph,  in  prayer  and  exhortation.  Among  these 
was  a  woman  five  hours  motionless,  and  a  little  boy  under  twelve 
years  of  age  who  arose,  prayed  and  exhorted  in  a  wonderful  man- 
ner. After  themselves  I  observed  that  their  next  concern  was  their 
nearest  relations.  After  this,  I  went  to  the  nearest  encampment, 
where  seven  or  eight  were  prostrate  on  the  earth  ;  while  viewing 
this  scene,  a  stout  young  man  fell  on  his  knees  behind  me,  and 
cried  for  mercy.  I  turned  about.  He  asked  me  to  pray  for  him. 
I  attempted  it.  He  arose  with  some  assistance,  called  for  a  brother, 
and  gave  him  and  the  bystanders  a  most  pressing  dissuasive 
against  delaying  repentance  ;  '  this,'  said  he, '  has  been  my  own  case 
until  I  saw  the  Iredell  company  passing  by.  They  left  me  restless 
and  wretched.  I  was  forced  to  follow.  I  have  just  come  ;  and 
have  been  running  from  camp  to  camp,  until  I  was  able  to  go  no 
farther.  I  now  cry  for  mercy,  and  feel  determined  to  cry  until  I 
find  it.' 

"  After  1  had  gone  round  the  encampments,  I  went  into  the 
wood  to  see  a  large  number,  some  of  them  my  own  charge,  at  a 
distance  from  the  camps.  Two  or  three  had  retired  for  prayer 
and  conversation,  and  were  struck  ;  others  were  led  to  them  by 
their  cries,  some  of  whom  were  also  struck,  until  there  was  a 
large  company  of  spectators,  and  persons  exercised.  I  had  now 
viewed  the  whole  as  a  spectator.  My  mind  seemed  to  be  made 
up  of  a  strange  mass  of  sensations,  and  I  retired  for  a  moment 
to  make  some  serious  reflections.  Still  did  the  notion  of  disorder 
perplex  me.  What  is  disorder,  said  I,  and  wherein  consists  its 
criminality  ?  There  is  an  external  disorder,  which  disturbs  formal 
organized  worship.  This  disorder  may  arise  from  the  fainting  of 
the  speaker,  or  of  any  of  the  hearers,  or  from  any  sudden  alarm, 
as  Hervey  has  stated  in  the  story  of  a  press-gang  in  a  seaport  in 
England.  Has  organized  worship  been  disturbed  in  Randolph  ? 
No.  Would  the  disturbance  be  criminal  if  it  were  involuntary  ? 
Certainly  not.  If  so,  Peter  might  have  been  disturbed  with  the 
cry  of  his  hearers,  and  Paul  with  the  fall  of  Eutychus  from  the 
third  loft.  Yet  there  was  no  crime.  Where  then  is  that  disorder 
which  involves  guilt  ?  It  is  in  a  multitude  of  improper,  incohe- 
rent, and  wandering  thoughts.  Do  such  thoughts  pass  through 
the  minds  of  the  exercised,  or  of  serious  spectators  ?  No.  An 
awful  sense  of  the  majesty  of  God — a  painful  sense  of  sin — an 


394  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

earnest  desire  to  be  delivered  from  it,  &c,  &c,  surely  there  is  no 
disorder  here.  I  see.  criminal  disorder  through  roving  eyes,  and 
vacant  features.  I  see  it  in  the  conversation  of  an  intoxicated 
youth.  I  see  it  in  the  giddy  crowd  running  from  camp  to  camp, 
without  a  fixed  object,  and  I  see  it  in  the  conduct  of  those  pro- 
fane persons  who  have  overturned  the  sacramental  tables,  and 
trampled  them  under  their  unhallowed  feet.  This  is  disorder 
voluntary,  and  awfully  criminal.  But  who  will  dare  to  say  this 
of  the  poor  sinners  constrained  to  cry,  even  in  the  great  assembly, 
'  Men  and  brethren,  what  must  we  do  to  be  saved  V  But  who  con- 
strains ?  I  answer,  the  impression  is  God's,  the  expression  ours, 
and  will  ever  be  as  the  suddenness  of  conviction,  the  weakness 
or  energy  of  the  mind,  and  the  sense  or  aggravation  of  its  guilt. 
I  had  often  viewed  the  unity  and  variety  of  God's  works,  and 
thought  I  began  to  see  these  traits  here.  What  a  sameness  in  the 
exercises  of  all,  and  yet  what  a  wonderful  variety  in  time,  place, 
means,  and  degrees  of  exercises  !  What  a  sameness  and  variety 
in  the  persons,  faces,  and  voices  of  men ;  and  also  in  the  natural 
powers  and  dispositions  of  the  mind.  Surely  the  God  of  nature 
is  the  God  of  grace.  Natural  affections  begin  with  self,  and  then 
spread  around ;  so  do  the  affections  that  show  themselves  in  this 
work .  First,  what  shall  I  do  to  be  saved  ?  Then,  O  my  child, 
my  brother,  or  sister,  '  Repent  and  believe.'  Surely  this  must 
be  the  work  of  God,  and  marvellous  in  our  eyes  !  After  all,  it 
seems  an  astonishing  way  to  reform  mankind.  It  is  not  the  way 
I  would  take  to  do  it.  But  what  is  conducted  as  I  would  con- 
duct it  ? — peace  or  war,  plenty  or  famine,  pestilence  or  health, 
life  or  death  ?  No.  I  can  but  say,  O  God,  as  the  heavens  are 
higher  than  the  earth,  so  are  thy  thoughts  above  our  thoughts, 
and  thy  ways  above  our  ways. 

"  On  the  last  evening  of  the  solemnities  were  my  difficulties 
completely  removed  by  the  ardent  exercise  of  a  man  near  three 
score,  a  man  far,  very  far  from  enthusiasm,  and  its  constituents, 
melancholy  and  irrational  devotion ;  a  man  whose  mind  was  en- 
lightened, long  enlightened  with  the  rays  of  science  and  religion. 
This  man  felt  no  pain  nor  anxiety  for  himself.  The  ardency  of 
his  desire,  or  prayer,  was  first  excited  for  a  particular  person  who 
was  impressed  ;  but  his  ardency  seemed  to  rise  as  high  as  the 
heavens,  and  to  extend  wide  as  the  earth.  It  seemed  as  if  God 
then  vouchsafed  to  answer  his  prayer,  to  rend  the  heavens,  and 
come  down  ;  to  shine  into  his  heart,  to  give  the  light  of  the  know- 
ledge of  the  glory  of  God  in  the  face  of  Jesus,  and  the  joy  un- 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  395 

speakable,  even  raptures,  that  arise  from  such  a  view.  Never 
was  prayer  offered  with  more  ardor  for  the  extending  of  this 
work,  nor  with  more  firm  and  unbounded  confidence  that  it  would 
be  extended.  He  seemed  to  see  the  glory  of  all  the  divine  attri- 
butes at  one  view,  and  to  see  them  all  displayed  in  the  progress 
of  this  glorious  work.  He  has  never  since  suspected  that  it  was 
delusion,  but  has  mostly  since  enjoyed 

'  The  soul's  calm  sunshine,  and  the  heart-felt  joy, 
Which  earth  can't  give,  and  which  earth  can't  destroy.' 

And  he  has  ever  since  expressed  an  ardent  zeal  to  promote  this 
work." 


"  LETTER    III. 

"February  4,  1802. 
"  The  subject  of  this  letter  is  the  first  meeting  in  Iredell,  called 
the  Third  Creek  meeting ;  on  this  I  have  nothing  different  from  Mr. 
Hall's  statement,  except  these  remarks  :  '  That  persons  who  had 
obtained  a  religious  education,  and  were  moral  in  their  general 
deportment,  continued  longer  under  convictive  impressions  than 
others  who  were  ignorant  and  immoral ;  but  the  former  had  greatly 
the  advantage  in  the  regularity  of  their  exercises,  and  in  the  fa- 
cility and  perspicuity  with  which  they  communicated  them.  And 
that,  though  very  young  and  bashful  persons  might  pray  and  ex- 
hort well  under  the  first  exercises  or  impressions,  yet  they  seldom 
or  never  succeed  so  well  in  future.  And  that,  though  very  young 
people  have  gone  as  far  as  education  or  genius  could  go,  yet  I 
have  never  seen  them  go  beyond.  It  is  indeed  saying  a  great 
deal  to  assert  that  they  have  gone  so  far.'  " 


LETTER  IV. 


"  March  17,  1802. 

"  The  subject  of  this  is  the  meeting  at  Cross-roads,  in  Iredell. 
The  extract  not  noticed  by  Mr.  Hall,  is  that  a  system  of  rules 
was  agreed  to  by  the  ministers  for  the  more  uniform  conducting 
of  the  work.     These  rules  are  : — 

"  1 .  That  persons  exercised  and  crying  for  mercy,  should  neither 
be  disturbed  with  prayer  nor  exhortation,  unless  when  they  re- 


396  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

quested  it,  or  were  verging  to  despair,  or  becoming  careless  with- 
out gaining  consolation. 

"  2.  That  when  consolation  came,  thanks  should  be  given ;  yet 
not  in  such  terms  as  if  conversion  and  salvation  were  entirely  cer- 
tain ;  but  only  in  a  judgment  of  charity  hopefully  begun,  and  to 
be  manifested  by  a  future  humble  active  course  of  obedience  to 
all  the  divine  commandments.  These  rules  were  suggested  by 
viewing  the  conduct  of  some,  who  seemed  to  push  impressed  per- 
sons too  hastily  along,  and  hazard  the  mistaking  of  convictions  for 
conversion.  Here  too  much  caution  cannot  be  taken  ;  for,  on  the 
one  hand,  is  danger  of  kindling  sparks,  and  on  the  other,  of  estab- 
lishing a  righteousness  of  our  own,  or  of  getting  confidence  or 
consolation  that  comes  not  from  the  comforter.  To  these  two 
rules  might  have  been  added  two  more.  1.  Never  to  make  it  an 
object  in  prayer,  preaching  or  exhortation,  to  excite  bodily  affec- 
tions ;  for,  in  this  sense,  bodily  exercise  pronteth  little.  It  is  not 
essential  to  true  religion,  and  is  even  now  but  an  incidental  cir- 
cumstance which  the  wisdom  of  God  is  directing  to  purposes 
most  important  indeed.  2.  That  young  people,  and  especially 
children,  who  had  spoken  feelingly  and  sensibly  under  their  first 
impressions,  should  not  be  pushed  forward  by  their  friends  to 
speak  again,  after  these  impressions  were  abated  or  gone. 

"  Opposers  here  had  time  to  combine,  and  show  themselves. 
They  were  rather  sentimentally  than  really  united.  One  class 
were  infidels,  curiosity  brought  them,  they  laughed  at  the  disputes 
of  Christians,  and  cared  little  about  them.  Another  class  were 
the  Associates — they  were  in  angry  earnest,  and  wished  for  dispu- 
tation. Another  class  were  of  the  baser  sort,  low,  vulgar  drunk- 
ards, buffoons  and  debauchees.  These  several  classes  were 
seldom  opposed  otherwise  than  by  prayer." 


LETTER    V. 


"  April  2d,  1802. 

"  The  subject  of  this  is  the  meeting  at  New  Providence. 

"  Extract,  not  in  Mr.  Hall's  Narrative.  At  this  meeting  has 
been  demolished  an  infidel  objection  that  only  weak  nerves  and 
minds  are  affected  in  this  work.  Here  I  saw  prostrate,  a  young 
man,  remarkable  for  the  robustness  of  his  body,  and  energy  of  his 
mind,  and  for  opposition  resolute  and  determined.  '0  God,'  were 
his  very  words,  '  and  must  T  shrink  now  ?     Must  I  lie  here  an 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  397 

humble  spectacle  to  the  gazing  crowd  V  After  a  pause,  '  0  God, 
have  mercy  :' — but  after  another — '  Did  I  ever  ask  it  before  ?  No  ! 
but  often  for  curses.'  Another  young  man,  the  largest  in  the 
Assembly,  was  stricken  down.  But  the  most  remarkable  of  all 
was  a  gentleman  of  a  strong  constitution,  and  a  mind  enlightened, 
and  enlarged  by  science,  and  knowledge  of  the  world — and  in  the 
school  of  infidelity,  a  master.  This  gentleman  I  saw  soon  after 
he  was  struck.  He  passed  a  night  in  horrors  indescribable.  I 
heard  him  declare  the  next  morning  that  he  believed  this  to  be  a 
supernatural  work  ;  and  urged  in  proof  the  first  of  the  above 
young  men,  '  whom  I  know,'  said  he,  '  to  have  both  strength  of 
nerves,  and  energy  of  mind  ;  and  yet  he  fell.' 

"  His  own  Narrative  first  obtained  from  another,  April  27, 
1802,  and  afterwards  directly  from  himself,  May  22,  is  in  my 
letter-book,  and  is  exactly  as  follows." 


LETTER    VI. 


"  I  was,"  said  he.  "  nearly  a  confirmed  deist ;  and  though  reli- 
giously educated,  despised  religion  until  about  four  weeks  ago. 

"  About  that  time  a  largeme  eting  was  held  at  Providence.  I  had 
the  curiosity  to  attend.  For  nearly  four  days  I  continued  on  the 
ground,  though  often  determined  to  leave  it  without  any  unusual 
impressions,  except  what  were  occasioned  by  the  cries  of  the  dis- 
tressed. Although  at  some  times  I  prayed  to  be  religiously  im- 
pressed, I  never  was  more  careless  and  hardened  in  my  life  until 

Monday  evening,  when  sitting  in  Mr. 's  tent,  reflecting  on  the 

strength  of  my  body,  and  happy  state  of  mind,  notwithstanding  my 
fatigue  and  want  of  rest,  I  was  at  once  struck  with  an  unusual 
sensation  in  my  heart,  which  in  a  little  time  pervaded  my  chest  in 
general.  I  felt  no  pain,  but  apprehended  immediate  death.  I  en- 
deavored to  remove  it  by  walking,  but  in  vain.  Having  returned 
to  the  tent,  the  sensation  pervaded  my  whole  body,  and  convul- 
sions and  involuntary  gnashing  of  teeth  ensued.  Instantaneously 
these  ceased,  and  1  became  as  one  dead,  unable  to  move.  While 
this  continued,  which  was  said  to  be  about  two  hours,  I  expe- 
rienced a  dreadful  gloom,  and  confused  horrors  of  mind,  but  had 
no  particular  view  of  my  sins.  This  resemblance  of  death  was 
succeeded  by  other  convulsions,  and  again  I  felt  quiet ;  and  until 
morning  experienced  more  dreadful  horrors,  which  increased  as 


398  sketches  or  north  Carolina. 

my  bodily  strength  returned.     When  the  exercise   of  my  bodily 
organs  was  tolerably  recovered,  my  horrors  ceased  without  my  being 
able  to  assign  the  particular  cause  of  their  removal.     My  first  re- 
flections were  how  I  could  possibly  make  a  public  profession  of 
religion,  and  exhort  as  others  were  doing.     A  plan  was  immedi- 
ately suggested  how  I  might  avoid  it,  which  was  to  attribute  all  I 
had  felt  to  fits  ;  and  say  I  had  been  subject  to  them  before.     This, 
however,  I  immediately  detected  as  a  suggestion  of  the  devil,  and 
discarded,  resolving  to  love  God  and  profess  the  religion  of  Jesus 
Christ,  let  the  consequence  be  what  it  would.     I  then  began  to  in- 
quire what  could  be  the  cause  of  these  new  and  sudden  resolutions  ; 
for,  thought  I,  it  is  scarcely  possible,  that  I,  who  have  been  one  of 
the  most  abandoned  sinners,  could  experience  a  change  of  heart, 
without  being  more  dreadfully  humbled  for  my  sins.    I  then  indeed 
saw  that  they  were  great  and  of  a  most  aggravated  kind,  being 
committed  against  so  much  light  and  goodness.     And  although  I 
could  not  feel  humbled  for  them  as  I  wished,  and  as  I  know  I 
ought,  yet  the  glory,  wisdom,  justice,  grace,  and  condescension  of 
God,  as  displayed  in  the  device  of  salvation  through  a  mediator, 
broke  in  upon  my  mind.     My  soul  was  filled  with  admiration  and 
love,  at  the  fulness  and  freeness  of  his  grace  in  Christ.     My  heart 
acquiesced  in  this   glorious  way  of  salvation,   and  my  soul  was 
drawn  out  in  love  to  the  holy  and  blessed  Jesus.     Never  before 
did  I  know  anything  of  true  joy,  and  blessed  be  God,  for  this  week 
past,  he  has  permitted  me  to  enjoy  his  smiles  almost  without  in- 
terruption.    But  I  am  not  satisfied,  and  at  some  times  am  led  to 
fear  the  whole  is  a  delusion  but  glory  to  God  if  it  should  be  so ; 
it  is  an  incomparable  sweet  one.     O  !  how  sweet  to  contemplate 
the  glorious  character  of  Almighty  God,  and  his  infinite  love  to 
sinners  through  his  dear  Son.     I  am  indeed  often  jealous  of  my 
own  heart,  and  this  often  leads  me  to  examine,  with  great  care,  my 
exercises,  and  compare  them  with   the  word   of  God  ;  and  the 
gracious  experience  mentioned  in  other  good  books.     And  if  I  am 
not  greatly  deceived,  I  can  freely  renounce  all  that  is  most  dear  to 
me  in  the  world,  for  Christ  and  his  religion.     I  pray  the  Lord 
may  enable  me  to  persevere.     I  desire  to  thank  him  I  have  been 
enabled  to  day,  at  court,  to  silence  near  a  dozen  of  my  old  deisti- 
cal  companions,  by  stating  to  them  my  own  experience.     My  case 
evaded  all  their  objections,  and  they  appeared  to  be  struck  with 
solemnity  and  alarm." 


REV.    JAMES     m'gREADY.  399 

"Connected  with  the  foregoing,  which  I  had  from  the  gentleman's 
own  hand,  is  the  following,  which  I  had  from  the  hand  of  my  friend 
and  neighbor,  the  Rev.  John  Carrigan,  and  also  from  the  lips  of 
three  other  clergymen,  who  were  eye  and  ear-witnesses.  To 
render  the  account  more  authentic,  I  have  made  no  alterations  in 
it,  and  indeed  I  saw  no  need  to  make  any. 

"Samuel  E.  M'Corkle." 


LETTER   VII. 

"  No?'th  Carolina,  Cabarrus  County,  May  29,  1802. 

"  Rev.  Sir, — I  here  transmit  you  a  short,  but  I  think  important, 
statement  of  facts,  to  which  I  had  the  pleasure  of  being  an  eye  and 
ear-witness. 

"  On  a  late  sacramental  occasion,  in  a  neighboring  society,  where 
I  had  the  happiness  of  attending,  my  attention  was  frequently  ex- 
cited afresh  by  new  and  extraordinary  instances  of  awakening. 
None,  however,  appeared  so  pointedly  to  arrest  the  public  mind  as 
that  of  a  certain  gentleman,  who  experienced  his  first  impressions 
on  Sabbath  evening.  His  own  declaration  was,  that  he  was  sensi- 
bly struck  in  the  forehead,  as  if  by  the  end  of  a  person's  finger. 
He,  supposing  the  stroke  to  be  of  the  apoplectic  kind,  became 
alarmed  with  the  view  of  instant  death — he  earnestly  desired  to 
have  blood  drawn,  crying  out, '  I  cannot  live.'  His  alarm  of  death 
gradually  abating,  he  spent  the  night  almost  in  silence ;  but  still 
disbelieved  it  to  be  the  work  of  God's  spirit. 

"  On  Monday  morning  I  was  awaked  by  his  bitter  and  piercing 
cries  at  a  distance.  When  I  went  to  him,  the  crowd  (many  of 
whom  were  in  tears)  was  listening  to  his  lamentation,  which  was 
to  the  following  purport : — '  0  God,  what  a  night  I  have  spent  in 
struggling  against  thy  spirit ;  I  have  been  an  opposer  and  a  despiser 
of  this  work ;  I  came  here  with  no  better  design  yesterday  morning, 
leaving  my  wife  and  children  without  calling  them  together  for 
prayer,  or  even  a  wholesome  advice ;  I  would  not  let  them  come ;  I 
thought  I  was  strong  ;  I  so  despised  the  work  and  its  friends  as  to 
begrudge  it  my  presence ;  I  had  philosophized  upon  it,  and  could 
account  for  it  all  to  my  satisfaction,  and  that  of  my  deistical  friends 
with  whom  I  had  the  greatest  happiness  for  ten  years  past.  But 
where  did  that  philosophy  come  from,  that  struck  me  in  the  forehead 
yesterday ;  0  God,  what  a  creature  have  I  been ;  and  yet  in  thy  un- 


400  SKETCHES    OF     NORTH    CAROLINA. 

bounded  goodness  thou  hast  taken  hold  of  me;  0  the  unbounded 
goodness  of  God ;  0  the  unbounded  goodness  of  God ;  0  the  un- 
bounded goodness  of  God ;  when  I  came  here  yesterday  morning  I 
could  not  have  prayed  before  four  persons,  or  sung  a  piece  of  a 
hymn :  no,  the  fact  was  I  would  not  have  done  it ;  but  now  I  could 
wish  the  world  to  hear  me ;  0  my  friends,  it  is  the  work  of  God,  it 
is  the  work  of  God ;  0  yes  it  is ;  I  have  heard  of  Christians  loving 
one  another,  and  of  one  person  feeling  interested  for  the  salvation 
of  their  fellow-sinners,  but  I  never  knew  what  it  meant,  or  even  be- 
lieved that  there  could  be  such  a  thing  till  now ;'  pausing  awhile  he 
added  :  'what  a  change  has  taken  place  in  my  mind  since  yesterday 
morning ;  my  wife  will  be  glad  to  see  it,  and  all  the  friends  of 
Jesus  will  rejoice  with  us  ;  0  God,  may  these  impressions  continue ; 
I  am  afraid  of  high  professions,  but  am  constrained  to  acknowledge, 
from  my  present  feelings,  that  if  this  world  with  all  its  glory  was  in 
my  offer,  I  would  not  receive  it  as  an  inducement  to  exchange  my 
present  state  for  that  in  which  I  was  yesterday ;  I  came  here  and  I 
knew  not  what  brought  me,  for  I  confess  I  had  not  the  approbation 
of  my  own  will ;  I  came  not  to  hear  sermon,  and  when  I  was  here 
I  tried  to  hear  as  little  as  I  could  ;  but  God  has  laid  on  me  his  hand 
in  mercy,  when  I  was  not  seeking  him.'  His  importunate  exercises 
in  prayer  and  exhortation,  should  they  be  all  noted,  would  fill  many 
pages ;  but  I  have  noted  his  soliloquy  in  the  above  lines,  as  that 
through  which  we  may  take  the  most  immediate  view  of  the  soul's 
exercises,  when  under  the  convictive  operations  of  God's  spirit. 
The  gentleman  has  the  advantages  of  a  liberal  education,  and  has 
always,  so  far  as  I  have  been  acquainted,  supported  a  good  moral 
character  ;  but  till  that  period,  by  his  own  confession,  had  never  sus- 
pected that  there  was  any  reality  in  religion,  but  scoffed  at  such  pre- 
tensions.    I  suppose  he  is  a  little  above  forty  years  of  age." 


"  LETTER  VIII. 

"  May  28,  1802. 

"  I  have  just  returned  from  a  general  meeting  at  Waxhaws  in  South 
Carolina,  which  commenced  on  Friday  21st  instant,  and  closed  on 
the  ensuing  Tuesday. 

"  About  twenty  ministers  of  various  denominations  attended,  one 
hundred  and  twenty  wagons,  twenty  carts,  and  eight  carriages, 
and  by  a  rough  computation  about  three  thousand  five  hundred 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  401 

persons,  of  whom  more  than  one  hundred  were  exercised  on  the 
occasion,  few  of  whom  received  the  sensible  comfort  of  religion. 
I  am  happy  that  I  attended,  because  I  have  returned  with  answers 
to  two  or  three  objections  which  were  made  here,  against  the  least 
degree  of  divine  agency  in  this  work.  These  objections  originated 
from  facts  that  had  taken  place  at  two  common  sacramental  occa- 
sions, which  I  had  just  before  attended — one  in  the  vicinity — the 
other  at  home.  At  the  first  of  these  the  opposers  were  numerous, 
wretched,  restless  and  daring.  They  cursed,  and  scoffed,  and 
threatened,  and  fortified  themselves  with  ardent  spirits  to  prevent 
the  stroke,  or  animate  for  opposition.  And  yet  not  one  of  them 
was  struck  down.  At  the  other  sacrament  a  number  of  females 
were  afflicted,  but  not  one  man.  These  circumstances  could  not 
escape  observation,  united  with  another,  viz.,  that  it  is  at  the  close 
of  all  our  meetings,  when  the  body  is  debilitated  and  the  mind 
impressed  with  a  long  series  of  dreadful  sights  and  sounds,  that  by 
far  the  greater  number  fall. 

"  At  Waxhaws  I  saw  these  objections  vanish  away.  About  twenty 
persons  fell  the  first  day,  the  far  greater  number  throughout  the 
whole  occasion  were  men,  and  few  opposers  escaped ;  not  less  than 
twelve  of  the  most  notorious  fell.  The  second  person  that  I  saw 
struck  was  a  man  who  had  boasted  that  he  would  not  fall.  How- 
ever, struck  he  was,  fled,  fell,  was  found,  and  brought  to  a  tent  where 
I  saw  him,  and  heard  him  cry  for  mercy.  Curiosity  had  compelled 
another  to  attend,  and  the  fear  of  falling  had  induced  him  to  drink 
freely :  so  that  it  was  doubtful  when  he  was  struck  down,  what  was 
the  true  cause.  Time  determined.  I  saw  him  twelve  hours  after, 
and  he  was  trying,  in  ardent  language,  to  express  his  repentance, 
love,  joy,  gratitude,  resolution,  and  hope.  I  saw  another  soon  after 
he  had  fallen.  His  companion  was  gazing  on.  A  respectable  by- 
stander told  me  that  they  were  racing  horses  into  the  encampment 
that  morning,  that  they  were  swearing  and  talking  profanely,  that 
the  fallen  had  boasted  that  nothing  but  his  bottle  should  ever  bring 
him  down,  and  that  he  would  not  for  the  value  of  the  whole  camp 
be  degraded  by  falling  for  anything  else.  Another  was  struck 
down,  and  by  one  of  the  ministers  (who  told  me)  he  was  urged  to 
pray.  This  he  peremptorily  refused.  He  was  urged  again,  and 
then  declared  that  he  would  rather  be  damned  than  pray.  Such  a 
comment  on  the  enmity  and  pride  of  the  human  heart  1  never  heard 
before.  After  lying  all  night  on  the  ground,  he  crept  away  the  next 
morning,  and  I  heard  of  him  no  more. 

"  A  remarkable  occurrence  took  place  on  my  return,  not  far  from 

26 


402  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  encampment.  A  young  man  was  exercised  in  a  thick  wood,  he 
was  found,  and  then  called  for  his  relatives  and  neighbors,  to  whom 
he  gave  a  very  ardent  exhortation.  His  exercises  were  joyful,  as 
they  respected  himself;  but  became  painful  when  his  thoughts 
turned  on  his  thoughtless  or  opposing  relatives  and  neighbors. 
But  the  most  singular  circumstance  was  his  own  solemn  declaration, 
that  he  had  experienced  this  painful  work  in  that  very  wood  long 
before  he  had  ever  seen  it  in  others ;  and  therefore  he  cried  out  with 
unusual  animation, '  0  my  friends,  this  work  is  the  work  of  God, 
and  not  sympathy,  as  some  of  you  suppose.' 


"  LETTER   IX. 

"  Narrative  of  Proceedings  at  Jersey  Settlement,  Rowan  County, 
North  Carolina. 

"June,  4-8,  1802. 

"  A  sermon  was  delivered  on  Friday  to  a  large,  thoughtless,  disor- 
derly crowd,  which  became  gradually  composed  and  serious,  until 
Monday,  which  was  the  most  solemn  day  that  my  eyes  ever  beheld. 
Near  three  thousand  persons  attended,  and  of  these  near  three 
hundred  were  exercised  throughout  the  occasion,  and  perhaps  not 
fewer  than  the  half  of  them  on  Monday. 

"  Nothing  very  unusual  at  such  meetings  appeared,  until  Sunday 
evening,  when  a  stout  negro-woman,  who  had  been  all  day  mock- 
ing the  mourners,  fell ;  and  fell  in  a  state  of  horror  and  despair  that 
baffles  description.  In  this  state,  she  continued  with  intervals,  for 
three  hours.  I  viewed  her  all  the  time,  and  it  was  impossible  for 
my  imagination  to  conceive  of  her  being  more  tormented  had  she 
actually  been  in  hell.  She  often  roared  out, '  0  hell !  hell !  hell ! 
Thy  pangs  have  seized  me !  0  torment !  torment !  What  tor- 
ments me  !  Hell  can't  be  worse.  Let  me  go  there  at  once.  It  is 
my  dreadful  doom.'  She  said  she  saw  hell-flames  below,  herself 
hung  over  by  a  thread,  and  a  sharp,  bright  sword  drawn  to  cut  it 
through.  Her  exertions,  at  this  moment,  nor  angel  nor  devil  could 
describe.  Two  stout  negro-men  were  no  match  for  her  struggles. 
I  thought  of  the  man  among  the  tombs  with  his  legion.  Such  an 
exercise  I  never  beheld,  and  I  have  seen  not  less  than  a  thousand. 
No  one  that  saw  it,  ever  beheld  anything  that  would  stand  in  com- 
parison. At  intervals  she  cried, '  O  for  mercy  !  but  what  have  I 
to  do  with  mercy  1     No  mercy  for  poor  miserable  me.     Hope,  how- 


REV.    JAMES     m'gREADY.  403 

ever,  began  to  prevail,  and  at  last  she  shouted,  *  Glory,  glory,'  as 
loud,  and  as  long  as  she  had  roared  out, '  Hell-torment '  before. 
*  Astonishing,'  said  she, '  I  have  mocked  the  mourners,  boasted  that 
I  could  stand,  been  in  hell,  and,  0  praise  God,  praise  Him,  praise 
Him,  He  has  brought  me  out.  Never,  never,  let  me  forget  to  love, 
and  praise,  and  serve  my  God,  my  Redeemer.' 

"  Very  different,  but  less  noticeable  was  another  exercise  on  Mon- 
day. After  a  sermon  and  two  exhortations,  arose,  with  trembling 
and  wild  consternation,  a  man  who  adjured  the  preachers  before 
God,  to  say  on  their  conscience,  whether  they  did  believe  the  ne- 
cessity of  these  convictions  which  they  had  been  urging.  The 
whole  assembly  was  struck  with  solemn  astonishment.  The  preach- 
ers, after  a  pause,  said  with  one  voice, '  We  do,  we  do  believe  it.' 
He  then  turned  to  the  assembly,  and  begged  of  those  who  had  felt 
conviction,  to  pray  for  him,  and  others  who  had  not.  He  sat  down. 
An  awful  silence  ensued,  and  then  a  prayer  was  performed  for  them. 
When  this  scene  ended,  he  rose,  and  called  on  all  who  had  not  felt 
conviction,  to  join  with  him  in  prayer  for  themselves.  After  a 
short,  pathetic  prayer,  he  retired.  I  afterwards  conversed  with  him. 
He  said  that  he  had  never  suspected  our  sincerity,  but  wished  to 
have  the  assembly  impressed  with  our  public  declaration  ;  that  his 
first  feeling  was  a  bodily  sensation  rising  from  his  bowels  toward 
his  breast,  and  that  with  this  sensation  arose  his  resolution  to  speak, 
and  an  impulse  irresistible  to  execute  it.  And  certain  am  I  that, 
had  he  studied  for  a  year,  he  could  have  devised  no  plan  that  would 
have  produced  such  a  solemn  effect  on  the  assembly.  In  the  eve- 
ning he  was  severely  exercised,  and  obtained  as  much  consolation 
as,  in  his  own  words, '  such  a  sinner  could  expect.'  '  This,'  said 
he, '  is  the  chief  ground  of  my  consolation,  that  1  feel  resolutions 
made  with  a  temper  which  I  never  experienced  before.  I  think  I 
feel  that  I  am  acting  from  principles,  and  that  I  feel  the  principles 
from  which  I  act.'  This  man  possessed  a  large  portion  of  natural 
understanding,  and  a  liberal  education,  but  regrets  that  he  has 
been  too  long  wandering  through  the  wilds  of  infidelity  and  intem- 
perance. He  has  firmly  resolved  to  abandon  his  old  companions, 
and  choose  new  ones,  and  be  another  man.  May  God  enable  him 
so  to  do. 

"  What  wonders  are  doing  around  us !  What  think  you  of  a  wed- 
ding, a  gay  giddy  bride,  and  a  severe  exercise  on  her  bridal  day  ? 
All  this  has  happened  in  the  vicinity  of  this  meeting,  and  but  a  few 
days  before  it,  I  conversed  with  the  bride.  She  said  she  had 
thought  seriously  of  this  work  before ;  but  was  not,  when  struck, 


404  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

thinking  seriously  about  anything.  She  was  struck  soon  after  the 
ceremony  was  performed,  and  struck  in  such  an  awful  manner,  that 
for  some  time  she  knew  not  what  was  the  matter.  Her  friends 
were  prodigiously  alarmed,  and  their  mirth  turned  into  sober  sad- 
ness. She  at  last  obtained  a  little  consolation,  and  told  me  she  was 
earnestly  seeking  for  more.  In  the  vicinity  of  this  place  is  a  man 
of  mid-age,  who  was  struck  in  his  bed  ;  and  a  young  woman,  who 
experienced  all  this  work  in  secret  five  or  six  years  before  ever  she 
saw  it  in  others.     I  know  her,  and  believe  that  she  abhors  a  lie. 

"  Westfield,  August  9,  1802.     To  Mr.  Langdon  in  Salisbury, 
Rowan  County,  N.  Carolina. 

"  Your's,  &c, 

"  Samuel  M'Corkle." 


A  True  Account  of  a  Great  Meeting  held  in  the  District  of  Spar- 

tanburgh,  South  Carolina. 

"Abbeville  (S.  C),  July  7  th,  1802. 

"  My  Friend  : — I  have  just  returned  from  Nazareth,  where  I  have 
seen  and  heard  things  which  no  tongue  can  tell,  no  pen  can  paint, 
no  language  can  describe,  or  of  which  no  man  can  have  a  just  con- 
ception, until  he  has  seen,  heard  and  felt.  I  am  willing  that  you 
should  have  a  perfect  detail  of  all  the  circumstances  attending  this 
meeting  ;  and  of  all  occurrences  which  there  took  place.  But  you 
must  accept  the  acknowledgments  of  my  inadequacy  to  draw  a  just 
representation  ;  yet,  as  far  as  I  may  be  able,  I  will  now  give  you 
an  account  of  some  things. 

"  The  meeting  was  appointed  some  months  since  by  the  Presby- 
tery, and  commenced  on  Friday,  the  2d  inst.  The  grove  wherein 
the  camp  was  pitched  was  near  the  water  of  Tyger  River ;  and 
being  in  a  vale  which  lay  between  two  hills  gently  inclining  to- 
wards each  other,  was  very  suitably  adapted  to  the  purpose.  The 
first  day  was  taken  up  in  encampment  until  two  o'clock,  when  di- 
vine service  commenced  with  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  John  B.  Ken- 
nedy. He  was  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  William  Williamson,  in  an 
address  explanatory  of  the  nature  and  consequences  of  such  meet- 
ings. The  assembly  was  then  dismissed.  After  some  short  time, 
service  commenced  again  with  a  sermon  by  the  Rev.  James  Gille- 
land  ;  who  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Wilson,  in  a  very 
serious  and  solemn  exhortation.  Afterwards  the  evening  was  spent 
in  singing  and   prayer  alternately.      About  sundown  the   people 


REV.    JAMES     M'GREADY.  405 

were  dismissed  to  their  respective  tents.  By  this  time  the  counte- 
nances of  all  began  to  be  shaded  by  the  clouds  of  solemnity,  and  to 
assume  a  very  serious  aspect.  At  ten  o'clock  two  young  men  were 
lying  speechless,  motionless,  and  sometimes  to  all  appearance,  ex- 
cept in  the  mere  act  of  breathing,  dead.  Before  day,  five  others 
were  down  ;  these  I  did  not  see.  The  whole  night  was  employed 
in  reading  and  commenting  upon  the  word  of  God ;  and  also  in 
singing,  praying  and  exhorting;  scarcely  had  the  light  of  the  morn- 
ing sun  dawned  on  the  people,  ere  they  were  engaged  in  what 
may  be  called  family  worship.  The  adjacent  tents  collecting  in 
groups,  here  and  there,  all  round  the  whole  line.  The  place  of 
worship  was  early  repaired  to  by  a  numerous  throng.  Divine  ser- 
vice commenced  at  eight  by  one  of  the  Methodist  brethren,  whom  I 
do  not  recollect.  He  was  followed  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shacldeford, 
of  the  Baptist  profession.  Singing,  praying  and  exhorting  by  the 
Presbyterian  clergymen  continued  until  two  o'clock,  when  an  inter- 
mission of  some  minutes  was  granted,  that  the  people  might  re- 
fresh themselves  with  water,  &c.  By  this  time,  the  audience  be- 
came so  numerous,  that  it  was  impossible  for  all  to  crowd  near 
enough  to  hear  one  speaker  ;  although  the  ground  rising  above  the 
stage  theatrically,  afforded  aid  to  the  voice.  Hence,  the  assembly 
divided,  and  afterwards  preaching  was  performed  at  two  stages. 
An  astonishing  and  solemn  attention  in  the  hearers,  and  an  animat- 
ing and  energetic  zeal  in  the  speakers,  were  now  everywhere  pre- 
vailing. Service  commenced  half  after  two  by  the  Rev.  John 
Simpson  at  one  stage,  and  at  the  other,  by  the  Rev.  James  M'El- 
henney,  who  were  succeeded  by  the  Rev.  Francis  Cummings. 
After  these  sermons,  fervent  praying,  &c,  were  continued  until,  and 
through  the  night,  in  which  time  many  were  stricken,  and  numbers 
brought  to  the  ground. 

"  The  next  morning  (Sabbath  morning),  a  still  higher,  if  possible, 
more  engaged  and  interesting  spirit  pervaded  the  whole  grove ; 
singing  and  praying  echoed  from  every  quarter  until  eight  o'clock, 
when  divine  service  commenced  again  at  both  stages,  before  two 
great  and  crowded  assemblies.  The  action  sermons  were  delivered 
by  the  Rev.  Robert  Wilson,  at  one  stage,  and  the  Rev.  William 
Cummings  Davis  at  the  other.  I  did  not  hear  Mr.  Wilson.  But 
Mr.  Davis's  was  one  of  the  most  popular  orthodox  gospel  sermons 
that  I  ever  heard.  No  sketch,  exhibited  in  words,  would  be  ade- 
quate to  portray  the  appearance  of  the  audience  under  this  dis- 
course. Imagine  to  yourself  thousands  under  a  sense  of  the  greatest 
possible  danger,  anxious  to  be  informed  in  all  that  related  to  their 


406  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

dearest  interests,  in  the  presence  of  a  counsellor,  who,  laboring  with 
all  his  efforts,  should  be  endeavoring  to  point  out  the  only  way  to 
security ;  and  you  will  have  some  faint  conception  of  this  spec- 
tacle. 

"  Thence  ensued  the  administration  of  the  Lord's  Supper.  To  the 
communion  sat  down  about  four  hundred  persons.  It  was  a  mat- 
ter of  infinite  satisfaction,  to  see  on  this  occasion  the  members  of 
the  Methodist  and  Presbyterian  churches  united  ;  all  owning  and 
acknowledging  the  same  God,  the  same  Saviour,  the  same  Sancti- 
fier,  and  the  same  Heaven.  "We  are  sorry  to  add  that  the  Baptists 
refused  to  join  ;  whether  their  objections  were  reasonably  justifiable, 
I  shall  not  presume  to  say. 

"  The  evening  exercises,  although  greatly  interrupted  by  the  in- 
temperance of  the  weather,  progressed  as  usual,  until  about  dark ; 
when  there  commenced  one  of  the  most  sublime,  awfully  interest- 
ing and  glorious  scenes  which  could  possibly  be  exhibited  on  this 
side  of  eternity.  The  penetrating  sighs,  and  excruciating  struggles 
of  those  under  exercise  ;  the  grateful  exultations  of  those  brought 
to  a  sense  of  their  guilty  condition,  and  to  a  knowledge  of  the  way 
to  salvation ;  mingled  with  the  impressions  which  are  naturally  ex- 
cited by  the  charms  of  music  and  the  solemnity  of  prayer  on  such 
occasions  ;  and  to  all  this  added  the  nature  of  the  scenery,  the  dark- 
ness of  night  and  the  countenances  of  the  spectators,  speaking  in 
terms  more  expressive  than  language,  the  sympathy,  the  hope  and 
the  fear  of  their  hearts,  were  sufficient  to  bow  the  stubborn  neck  of 
infidelity,  silence  the  tongue  of  profanity,  and  melt  the  heart  of  cold 
neglect,  though  hard  as  adamant.  This  scene  continued  through 
the  night.  Monday  morning  dawned  big  with  the  fate  of  its  im- 
portance. The  morning  exercises  were  conducted  as  usual.  About 
half  past  seven  the  assembly  met  the  ministers  at  the  stage,  and  ser- 
vice commenced  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Waddel.  After  which  ensued 
singing,  exhorting  and  a  concert  of  prayer.  At  length  the  business 
closed  with  an  address,  energetic  and  appropriate,  by  the  Rev. 
Francis  Cummins.  In  the  course  of  this  day  many  were  stricken, 
numbers  of  whom  fell. 

"  I  cannot  but  say  that  the  parting  was  one  of  the  most  moving 
and  affecting  scenes  which  presented  itself  throughout  the  whole. 
Families,  who  had  never  seen  each  other  until  they  met  on  the 
ground,  would  pour  forth  the  tears  of  sympathy,  like  streams  of 
waters ;  many  friendships  were  formed,  and  many  attachments  con- 
tracted, which,  although  the  persons  may  never  meet  again,  shall 
never  be  dissolved.     Not  one  quarter  of  an  hour  before  I  mounted 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  407 

my  horse  to  come  away,  I  saw  one  of  the  most  beautiful  sights 
which  ever  mortal  beheld.  It  would  not  only  have  afforded  pleas- 
ure to  the  plainest  observer,  but  the  profoundest  philosopher  would 
have  found  it  food  for  his  imagination.  The  case  to  which  I  allude 
was  the  exercise  of  Miss  Dean,  one  of  the  three  sisters  who  fell 
near  the  close  of  the  work.  Her  reflections  presented  mostly  objects 
of  pleasure  to  her  view.  But  sometimes,  for  the  space  of  a  minute, 
she  would  lose  them  ;  the  consequence  of  which  was  painful  dis- 
tress. By  the  very  features  of  her  face  I  could  see  when  her  afflic- 
tive sensations  approached,  as  plain  as  ever  I  saw  the  sun's  light 
obscured  by  the  over-passing  of  clouds.  In  her  happy  moments 
she  awakened  in  my  recollection  Milton's  lively  picture  of  Eve 
when  in  a  state  of  innocence. 

"  Another  extraordinary  case  occurred  at  the  very  moment  of 
departure.  Two  men  disputing,  one  for,  the  ether  against  the 
work,  referred  their  contest  to  a  clergyman  of  respectability,  who 
happened  to  be  passing  that  way.  He  immediately  took  hold  of 
the  hand  of  the  unbeliever,  and  thus  addressed  him  :  '  If  you  were 
in  your  heart's  desire  to  wait  on  the  means  of  grace,  God  would 
show  you  the  truth.  You  may  expect  mercy  to  visit  you  ;  but  re- 
member, my  hand  for  it,  it  will  cost  you  something  ;  a  stroke  would 
not  now  come  at  a  successless  hour.'  Scarcely  had  the  words  drop- 
ped from  his  lips,  when  the  man  was  on  the  ground,  pleading  for 
an  interest  in  the  kingdom  of  heaven,  and  begging  pardon  of  God 
for  his  dishonoring  him  and  the  cause  of  religion,  through  unbelief. 
I  understood  the  man  to  be  a  pious  man,  and  his  hesitations  of  a 
religious  and  conscientious  kind.  The  other  men  who  had  been  in 
the  crowd,  where  many  were  lying  under  the  operations  of  the 
work,  attempted  to  run  off.  One,  leaving  his  hat  in  his  haste,  ran 
about  twenty  or  thirty  paces  and  fell  on  his  face.  His  shrieks  de- 
clared the  terrors  and  anguish  under  which  he  labored.  The  other 
ran  a  different  course  about  fifty  yards,  and  fell. 

"  The  number  of  those  who  were  stricken  could  not  be  ascer- 
tained, but  I  believe  it  to  be  much  greater  than  any  one  would  con- 
ceive. On  Sabbath  night,  about  twelve  or  one  o'clock,  I  stood 
alone  on  a  spot  whence  I  could  hear  and  see  all  over  the  camp  ; 
and  found  that  the  work  was  not  confined  to  one,  two  or  three  pla- 
ces, but  overspread  the  whole  field  ;  and  in  some  large  crowds  the 
ground  appeared  almost  covered.  In  the  course  of  one  single 
prayer,  of  duration  about  ten  minutes,  twelve  persons  fell  to  the 
ground  :  the  majority  of  whom  declared,  in  terms  audible  and  expli- 
cit, that  they  never  prayed  before. 


408  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

"  There  attended  on  this  occasion  thirteen  Presbyterian  preach- 
ers, viz.  :  Messrs.  Simpson,  Cummins,  Davis,  Cunningham,  Wilson, 
Waddel,  Williamson,  Brown,  Kennedy,  Gilleland,  sen'r.,  M'Elhen- 
ney,  Dixon  and  Gilleland,  junior;  and  an  unknown  number  of 
Methodists  and  Baptists. 

"  The  multitude  on  this  occasion  far  exceeded  anything  which  had 
come  under  my  observation.  There  were  various  conjectures  of  the 
numbers  present ;  some  allowed  three,  some  four,  some  fivg,  some 
six,  some  seven,  and  some  eight  thousand.  I  had  not  been  in  the 
habit  of  seeing  such  multitudes  together,  and  therefore  do  not  look 
upon  myself  capable  of  reckoning  anyways  accurately  on  the  sub- 
ject. But  I  do  candidly  believe  five  thousand  would  not  be  a  vague 
conjecture.  The  district  of  Spartanburgh,  where  the  meeting  was 
held,  contains  no  less  than  twelve  thousand  souls.  Men  of  informa- 
tion who  reside  therein,  said,  to  one  who  might  be  travelling,  the 
country  would  appear  almost  depopulated,  and  hesitated  not  in  the 
least  to  say  two  thirds  of  the  inhabitants  were  present.  Now  sup- 
posing only  one  third  to  have  attended,  from  that  district  itself, 
there  would  have  been  four  thousand.  Besides,  there  were  multi- 
tudes from  the  districts  of  Union,  York,  Laurens  and  Greenville ; 
Numbers  from  Pendleton,  Abbeville,  Chester  and  Newbury,  and 
some  from  Green,  Jackson,  Elbert  and  Franklin  counties,  of  the 
State  of  Georgia.  Of  carriages,  the  number  was  about  two  hundred, 
including  wagons  and  all  other  carriages. 

"  In  a  thinking  mind,  an  approach  to  the  spot  engendered  awful 
and  yet  pleasing  reflection.  The  ideas  which  necessarily  struck  the 
mind  were,  thousands  in  motion  to  a  point,  where  to  meet,  tell, 
hear,  see  and  feel  the  mighty  power  of  God.  Believe  me,  sir,  no 
composition  can  exaggerate  the  spirit  of  one  of  these  occasions, 
although  facts  may  be  misrepresented.  For  a  lively  miniature,  I 
refer  you  to  an  extract  of  a  letter,  contained  in  a  book  lately  pub- 
lished and  entitled, '  Surprising  Accounts  ;'  where  this  expression 
is  used, '  The  slain  of  the  Lord  were  scattered  over  the  fields.' 

"  I  cannot  omit  mentioning  an  idea  expressed  by  Mr.  Williamson. 
After  taking  a  view  of  the  general  prevalency  of  dissipation  and 
slothful  neglect  in  religious  affairs,  he  concluded,  saying,  '  These 
works  appear  like  the  last  efforts  of  the  Deity  to  preserve  his  church, 
and  promote  the  cause  of  religion  on  this  earth.'  To  see  the  bril- 
liancy and  sublimity  of  this  idea,  we  need  only  recur  to  the  state  of 
society  for  a  few  years  back ;  especially  in  the  southern  States  of 
United  America,  when  and  where,  Satan  with  all  his  influence  ap- 
peared to  be  let  loose  and  was  going  about  like  a  roaring  lion 


REV.    JAMES     M  GREADY.  409 

seeking  whom  he  might  devour.  This  extraordinary  work  carries 
in  itself,  demonstratively,  the  truth  of  the  Christian  religion.  Men 
who  fall,  and  many  there  are  who  have  paid  no  attention  to  the  holy 
scriptures,  yea,  even  infidels  of  the  deepest  dye,  cry  out '  their  sinful 
state  by  nature,'  '  their  alienation  from  God,'  '  and  man's  incapacity 
to  satisfy  the  justice  of  the  law  under  which  he  stands  condemned,' 
'  and  of  course  the  absolute  necessity  of  a  Redeemer.'  When  re- 
ceiving comfort  from  this  last  consideration,  I  heard  none  crying  for 
Mahomed,  Bramma,  Grand  Lama  or  Hamed ;  none  but  Christ  was 
their  healing  balm,  in  him  alone  was  all  reliance  fixed,  on  him 
alone  was  all  dependence  placed. 

"  It  would  be  exceedingly  difficult  to  draw  an  intelligible  repre- 
sentation of  the  effects  of  this  work  upon  the  human  body.  Some 
are  more  easily  and  gently  wrought  than  others;  some  appear 
wholly  wrapped  in  solitude ;  while  others  cannot  refrain  from  pour- 
ing out  their  whole  souls  in  exhortations  to  those  standing  round ; 
different  stages,  from  mild  swoons  to  convulsive  spasms,  may  be 
seen ;  the  nerves  are  not  unfrequently  severely  cramped ;  the  sub- 
jects generally  exhibit  appearances  as  though  their  very  hearts 
would  burst  out  of  their  mouths  :  the  lungs  are  violently  agitated, 
and  all  accompanied  with  an  exhalation ;  they  universally  declare 
that  they  feel  no  bodily  pain  at  the  moment  of  exercise,  although 
some  complain  of  a  sore  breast  and  the  effects  of  a  cramping,  after 
the  work  is  over ;  the  pulse  of  all  whom  I  observed  beat  quick  and 
regular,  the  extremities  of  the  body  are  sometimes  perceptibly  cold. 
In  short,  no  art  or  desire  would  imitate  the  exercise.  No  mimic 
would  be  able  to  do  justice  to  the  exhibition.  This  demonstrates 
the  error  of  the  foolish  supposition  of  its  being  feigned.  I  will 
conclude,  my  dear  Sir,  acknowledging  that  all  I  have  here  written 
is  incompetent  to  give  you  any  complete  idea  of  the  work.  There- 
fore to  you  and  all  who  wish  to  be  informed,  I  say,  come,  hear,  see, 
and  feel.  I  am  your's,  respectfully, 

"Ebenezer  H.  Cummins." 


As  the  attention  to  religion  spread  wider,  and  became  more 
general,  the  variety  and  degree  of  the  bodily  exercises  greatly  in- 
creased in  the  Carolinas,  and  renewedly  called  the  attention  of  the 
considerate  and  judicious.  The  extravagances  of  some  parts 
of  the  West  never  found  their  way  east  of  the  Allcghanies, 
such  as  running  back  and  forth,  barking  like  a  dog,  and  uttering 


410  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

inhuman  sounds,  like  nothing  imaginable.  Some  individuals,  that 
had  been  affected  with  these  extravagances,  visited  their  friends 
east  of  the  great  mountains,  and,  during  the  meetings  they  attend- 
ed, gave  some  specimens,  apparently  involuntary,  of  the  manner 
of  these  peculiarities  :  happily  the  example  was  not  contagious. 
Loss  of  strength,  swoons,  outcries,  sobs,  and  groans,  and  violent 
spasmodic  jerkings  of  the  body,  became  in  a  degree  common  through 
the  Carolinas. 

A  venerable  clergyman  now  living  (1846)  was  affected  by  the 
jerks  a  few  times,  and  the  account  he  gives  will  probably  help  to 
a  right  understanding  of  those  singular  affections.  He  was  licensed 
in  the  spring  of  1801,  and  went  soon  after  to  preach  statedly  at 
Bethany,  in  Caswell  county,  or  Rattlesnake,  as  it  was  often  called 
— (the  congregation  is  not  now  known  by  either  name,  having  been 
divided  into  Gilead  and  Yanceyville) — and  with  it  associated  Greers 
or  Upper  Hico.  The  interest  on  the  subject  of  religion  had  been 
felt  through  Granville  and  Caswell.  The  bodily  exercises  were 
common,  but  had  not  gone  to  great  excess  or  extravagance.  He 
had  attended  a  communion  season  at  Bethany  on  a  certain  occasion 
with  much  enjoyment,  and,  on  his  way  home  to  his  residence, 
tarried  a  night  at  the  house  of  Mr.  James  Greer.  As  the  hour  of 
evening  worship  approached,  he  felt  deeply  impressed  with  a  sense 
of  the  presence  of  Almighty  God  in  his  holiness  and  majesty. 
God's  purity  and  grace  appeared  wonderful.  This  sense  increased 
upon  him  during  worship.  After  worship,  the  sense  of  the  presence 
of  a  pure  and  holy  God  overawed  him  :  it  seemed  to  him  he  should 
sink  under  it.  He  felt  astonished  that  God,  such  a  God,  should 
be  so  good  to  such  an  unworthy  creature.  He  walked  out  to  get 
by  himself,  and  started  to  go  across  a  little  piece  of  corn  to  a  small 
retired  valley.  Before  he  could  reach  the  retirement  he  was  seized 
in  a  most  surprising  manner.  Suddenly  he  began  leaping  about, 
first  forward,  then  sideways,  and  sometimes,  standing  still,  would 
swing  backward  and  forward  "  see-saw  fashion."  This  motion  of 
his  body  was  both  involuntary  and  irresistible  at  the  commence- 
ment ;  afterwards,  there  was  scarcely  a  disposition  to  resist,  and 
in  itself  the  motion  was  neither  painful  nor  unpleasant.  The 
people  in  the  house  heard  the  noise,  and  came  running  to  his  relief, 
and  carried  him  in  their  arms  back  to  the  dwelling.  The  fit  lasted 
about  an  hour,  during  which  time,  if  the  attendants  let  go  their  hold, 
he  would  jerk  about  the  room  as  he  had  done  in  the  field.  Gra- 
dually it  passed  away  and  he  retired  to  rest,  humbled  at  the  exhi- 
bition he  had  made. 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  411 

On  the  next  day  he  felt  more  ashamed  of  the  matter,  as  he  had 
fully  believed  that,  at  the  first  outset  at  least,  the  jerks  could  be 
resisted.  As  he  rode  away,  he  felt  mortified,  and  wished  he  had 
charged  the  people  where  he  lodged  to  make  no  mention  of  the 
matter,  believing  that  it  would  make  against  him,  and  that  he  could 
and  would  resist  them  for  the  future.  But,  on  that  very  day,  while 
visiting  a  neighbor,  without  any  special  excitement,  talking  about 
the  meeting,  he  was  suddenly  seized  again,  and  jerked  across  the 
room,  and  continued  under  the  influence  of  the  exercise  for  about 
fifteen  minutes.     He  went  home  very  much  confounded. 

He  once  afterwards  had  a  return  of  the  exercise  in  the  pulpit  at 
Hawfields.  Mr.  Hodge,  who  had  once  been  the  preacher  there, 
and  had  been  so  prominent  in  the  revival  in  the  West,  was  visiting 
the  congregation.  After  the  services  of  public  worship  were  con- 
cluded, sitting  with  him  in  the  pulpit,  he  began  to  inquire  of  his 
old  friend  about  the  revival  in  the  West.  Suddenly  the  exercises 
came  on,  but  soon  passed  away.  He  did  not  then  believe  them, 
nor  has  he  since  considered  them,  as  being  of  the  nature  of  true 
religion,  or  as  having  any  necessary  connection  with  it ;  but,  judg- 
ing from  his  own  experience,  and  what  he  saw  in  others,  he  con- 
cluded there  was  no  capability  of  resisting  them,  as  they  came  on, 
nor  any  disposition  to  do  so,  after  they  had  begun. 

By  degrees  the  bodily  exercises  lost  their  hold  upon  the  public 
mind  as  being  a  part  of  religious  experience  ;  persons  who  had  no 
sense  of  religion  were  seized  by  them  both  at  places  of  public 
worship  and  while  about  their  ordinary  business,  and  sometimes 
were  left  as  unconcerned  as  ever,  and  at  other  times  appeared  to 
be  greatly  irritated  by  them  ;  and  the  preachers  generally  not  only 
discountenanced  them,  but  openly  opposed  ;  and  long  before  the 
attention  to  religion  ceased,  these  exercises  were  confined  to  a  few 
neighborhoods  in  North  Carolina,  and  became  connected  with  ir- 
regularities that  required  the  censure  of  the  church,  which  in  a 
few  cases  was  inflicted,  as  appears  from  the  records  of  the  Synod 
of  the  Carolinas  for  the  years  1809  and  1810. 

As  a  specimen  of  the  extent  to  which  the  exercises  were  carried 
in  the  West  about  the  time  the  Presbyterian  ministers  set  them- 
selves in  opposition,  the  following  narrative  or  extract  from  a  diary 
is  presented,  taken  from  the  Virginia  Religious  Magazine  for 
1807,  published  in  Lexington,  Virginia.  The  narrative  was  drawn 
up  by  Rev.  John  Lyle,  then  living  in  Kentucky. 

"  Saturday,  Nov.  6th,  1805. — I  went  to  the  Beach  meeting- 
house, where  a  meeting  was  appointed  by  the  Presbyterians  and 


412  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Methodists,  called  in  the  country,  the  Union  Meeting.     There  I 

heard  a  sermon  delivered  by  a  Mr.  N ,  who  has  lately  been 

licensed  by  the  Cumberland  Presbytery,  and  is  said  to  be  a  man 
of  learning.  There  was  nothing  remarkable  in  his  sermon  except 
his  pressing  exhortations  to  the  people  to  pray  out,  shout,  dance, 
&c,  in  time  of  divine  worship.  He  told  them  to  shout,  to  pray 
aloud,  or  do  whatever  duty  they  felt  an  impression  to  do.  Said  he, 
'  I  believe  it  will  not  offend  God,  and  I  am  sure  it  will  not  offend 
me.'  The  people,  though  prior  to  this  seemingly  careless  and  in- 
attentive, were  roused  to  action, — shouted,  prayed  aloud,  exhorted, 
and  jerked  till  near  the  setting  of  the  sun. 

"  I  am  well  aware  that  it  is  impossible  to  describe  an  assembly 
thus  agitated,  so  as  to  give  those  who  have  never  seen  the  like,  a 
just  and  adequate  idea  of  it ;  I  would  just  observe  that  though  I 
had  been  accustomed  to  seeing  strong  and  indescribable  bodily 
agitations  in  the  upper  counties  of  Kentucky,  and  had  frequently 
seen  the  jerks,  yet  all  this  observation,  and  experience  did  not  pre- 
pare my  mind  to  behold  without  trepidation  and  horror  the  awful 
scenes  now  exhibited  before  me.  The  jerks  were  by  far  the  most 
violent  and  shocking  I  had  ever  seen.  The  heads  of  the  jerking 
patients  flew  with  wonderous  quickness  from  side  to  side  in  va- 
rious directions,  and  their  necks  doubled  like  a  flail  in  the  hands  of 
a  thresher.  Their  faces  were  distorted  and  black,  as  if  they  were 
strangling,  and  their  eyes  seemed  to  flash  horror  and  distraction. 
Numbers  of  them  roared  out  in  sounds  the  most  terrific.  The 
people  camped  in  wagons  and  tents  round  the  stand.  I  returned 
to  the  Rev.  William  McGee's." 

The  like  scenes  were  expected  the  next  day.  Mr.  Stone,  the 
leader  of  the  New  Lights,  was  there,  but  was  not  permitted  to 
preach.  Such  scenes  as  these  brought  the  bodily  exercise  into 
entire  disrepute  with  the  sober  and  sedate,  and  the  Presbyterian 
Church  generally  ;  and  the  work  of  revival  went  on  without  these 
where  they  were  vigorously  opposed. 

Such  scenes  never  prevailed  in  North  Carolina ;  the  nearest 
approach  was  in  one  neighborhood  in  Lincoln  County,  to  which 
sufficient  reference  is  made  in  the  minutes  of  the  Synod.  These 
things  are  recorded,  both  as  matters  of  historical  fact,  and  as  warn- 
ing against  yielding  to  irregularities,  however  specious  their  ap- 
pearance. 

The  revival  in  North  Carolina,  separated  from  all  these  objec- 
tionable things,  was  extensive  and  most  salutary  in  its  effects  in 
reforming  the  life  and  elevating  religious  and  moral  principle,  and 
promoting  the  domestic  and  civil  welfare. 


REV.    JAMES    M'GREADY.  413 

We  have  no  written  account  of  the  progress  of  the  revival  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  State,  drawn  up  by  the  hand  of  one  of  the 
actors.  In  default  of  this  account,  which  would  have  been  highly 
prized,  we  are  guided  by  the  accounts  from  other  sources,  and 
particularly  by  the  statements  of  Dr.  Hall,  the  author  of  the 
pamphlet,  which  makes  a  part  of  this  cjiaptcr.  He  visited  the 
bounds  of  Fayetteville  Presbytery,  and  made  report  to  Synod  in  the 
year  1810.  From  these  sources  it  appears  that  the  revival  spread 
rapidly  and  most  extensively  through  the  Scotch  settlements  ;  that 
the  bodily  exercises  prevailed  to  some  degree  for  a  time,  but  never 
reached  the  objectionable  height  they  did  in  some  places  in  the 
West,  and  were  probably  more  circumscribed  than  in  the  upper 
country.  The  ministers  that  were  living  in  that  section  of  the 
State  at  that  time,  were  Samuel  Stanford,  who  is  reported  in  the 
records  of  Synod  for  1799,  as  preaching  on  Black  River,  and 
Brown,  Marsh,  Angus,  M'Diarmid,  at  Barbacue  Bluff  and  McCoy's  ; 
John  Gillespie,  at  Centre,  Laurel  Hill  and  Raft  Swamp ;  Robert 
Tate,  South  Washington  and  Rockfish.  Murdoch  McMillan  and 
Malcolm  M'Nair  were  licensed  in  1801,  and  reported  as  ordained 
in  1803.  Nearly  all  of  these  were  young  men  ;  and  Mr.  Hall 
testifies  that  they  were  active,  laborious  and  successful  in  their 
Master's  work.  The  existing  churches  were  greatly  enlarged,  and 
new  ones  formed,  so  that  previous  to  1812,  the  ministers  and 
churches  of  the  Scotch  settlements,  and  those  between  them  and 
the  Ocean,  were  sufficiently  numerous  to  form  a  Presbytery. 
Some  eminently  useful  ministers  in  this  work  had  but  compara- 
tively a  short  race,  as  M'Nair ;  others  are  living  to  this  day,  as  the 
venerable  Robert  Tate. 

As  the  fruits  of  the  revival,  many  ministers  of  the  gospel  were 
raised  up ;  two  men  in  the  middle  age  left  their  occupations  and 
prepared  for  the  ministry,  and  became  eminently  useful.  One  of 
them,  Mr.  Peacock,  died  in  the  year  1830;  the  other,  Mr.  Mcln- 
tyre,  who  commenced  his  preparations  for  the  ministry  in  his  forty- 
fifth  year,  still  lives,  and  is  able  occasionally  to  preach,  having 
continued  his  most  active  ministerial  life  till  within  a  few  years. 
This  is  noticed  by  Mr.  Hall  in  an  honorable  manner. 

Throughout  Carolina,  wherever  the  revival  prevailed,  the  com- 
munity received  unspeakable  blessings,  and  the  church,  in  suc- 
ceeding ages,  can  but  remember  with  thankfulness,  the  mercy  of 
God,  and  bear  in  her  heart  and  preserve  in  her  records  the  names 
of  men  whom  God  honored  as  the  instruments  of  so  many  blessings 
to  their  fellow-men. 


414  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

REV.   HUMPHREY  HUNTER    AND    THE    CHURCHES    OF    STEELE    CREEK, 
GOSHEN,    AND    UNITY. 

Humphrey  Hunter  was  one  of  those  men,  who,  having  suffered 
and  fought  bravely  in  the  war  of  American  Independence,  gave 
the  strength  of  their  manhood  and  the  ripened  experience  of  their 
age,  to  proclaiming  the  gospel  of  everlasting  deliverance  from  sin 
and  misery  by  the  Lord  Jesus  Christ.  Drawn  by  the  excitement 
of  the  occasion,  he  mingled  with  the  crowd  that  in  May,  1775, 
listened  to  the  Declaration  of  Independence  in  Charlotte,  and 
carefully  preserved  a  copy  of  that  memorable  document,  the  pio- 
neer of  Declarations  of  Independence,  for  the  benefit  of  his 
children  and  of  posterity.  He  joined  in  the  shout  of  approval 
when  Col.  Polk  read  the  paper  from  the  court-house  steps,  and 
was  among  the  foremost  to  redeem  the  pledge  so  solemnly  given, 
"  of  life,  and  fortune,  and  most  sacred  honor,"  by  taking  arms  in 
the  defence  of  liberty,  and  suffering  captivity  and  wounds  in  the 
sacred  cause.  All  his  matured  years  were  given  to  preaching 
the  gospel  of  our  Lord.  His  first  services  were  rendered  in 
South  Carolina.  From  thence  he  removed  to  Lincoln  county,  in 
North  Carolina,  and  took  charge  of  the  congregations  of  Goshen 
and  Unity,  and  some  time  after  extended  his  services  to  Steele 
Creek,  one  of  the  oldest  congregations  in  the  State,  bordering  on 
Sugar  Creek  (which  embraced  Charlotte)  on  the  southwest. 
Goshen  became  a  preaching-place  anterior  to  Unity,  and  Steele 
Creek  long  before  either. 

From  the  fact  that  in  1776  a  call  was  brought  into  the  Synod 
of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  from  Steele  6reek  and  Providence, 
it  is  probable  that  the  church  on  Steele  Creek  was  organized  by 
Messrs.  Elihu  Spencer  and  Alexander  McWhorter,  who  were 
sent  by  the  Synod  in  1764  to  the  back  part  of  North  Carolina,  to 
aid  the  people  in  organizing  churches,  settling  their  boundaries, 
and  taking  proper  steps  to  obtain  regular  pastoral  services.  In 
1765,  the  Synod  appointed  Rev.  Messrs.  Kerr,  Duffield,  Ramsay, 
David  Caldwell,   Latta,   and  McWhorter,  to  spend  each  half  a 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  415 

year  in  the  vacant  congregations  of  Carolina.  In  the  next  year 
the  call  for  the  services  of  Mr.  Kerr  is  sent  to  Synod. 

Long  previous  to  that  time  there  was  occasional  preaching  on 
Steele  Creek,  by  missionaries  and  travelling  preachers,  as  McAden, 
while  those  who  were  willing  to  ride  the  distance  of  from  six  to 
sixteen  miles,  could  attend  on  the  preaching  at  Sugar  Creek. 
In  the  early  settlements,  fifteen  and  sixteen  miles  were  often 
passed  over  to  attend  the  sanctuary  on  a  Sabbath  morning ;  and 
as  many  more  in  the  evening,  to  return  to  the  secluded  forest 
homes  of  the  scattered  inhabitants  that  ultimately  formed  Steele 
Creek  and  Providence  churches,  whose  nearest  regular  preaching 
was  at  Sugar  Creek.  The  settlement  of  all  these  congregations 
commenced  about  the  same  time,  Sugar  Creek  and  Rocky  River 
taking  the  precedence  somewhat  in  point  of  time,  and  very  par- 
ticularly in  obtaining  the  services  of  a  settled  pastor. 

In  1767,  the  Rev.  Robert  Henry,  the  first  settled  pastor  on  Cub 
Creek,  Charlotte  county,  Virginia,  having  left  his  charge  in  Vir- 
ginia, accepted  a  call  from  Steele  Creek  and  Providence ;  in  the 
mysterious  Providence  of  God,  he  closed  his  life  that  year. 

The  Rev.  Dr.  McRee,  so  long  pastor  of  Centre,  spent  some 
twenty  years  of  his  life  in  Steele  Creek,  taking  his  residence  there 
in  1778  and  leaving  it  in  1797.  A  more  particular  account  of  him 
will  be  given  under  the  head  of  Centre  congregation.  Between 
his  service  and  the  time  of  Mr.  Henry,  the  congregation  does  not 
appear  to  have  had  a  settled  minister,  unless  Mr.  Reese  was  occu- 
pied a  few  years  with  Steele  Creek  and  Providence.  He  was 
preaching  in  Mecklenburg  about  the  commencement  of  the  Revo- 
lution, and  used  his  pen  for  his  country. 

You  may  find  Steele  Creek  church  on  the  road  from  Camden, 
South  Carolina,  through  Lincoln  to  Tennessee,  some  ten  miles 
southwest  from  Charlotte,  and  some  five  or  six  south  of  Tucka- 
sege  ford.  As  you  go  up  from  Camden,  you  will  pass  the  spacious 
church  on  the  left  hand  ;  but  whichever  way  you  may  be  passing 
you  will  not  mistake  the  low  wooden  house,  the  second  upon  the 
same  site,  with  the  old  grave-yard,  a  few  steps  to  the  east,  filled 
with  monuments,  and  the  new  yard  on  the  west  across  the  great 
road,  with  a  few  graves,  the  chosen  resting-place  of  a  large  con- 
gregation. 

Would  you  see  the  records  of  Steele  Creek  ?  She  has  no  his- 
tory. None  of  her  females  conversant  with  events  of  thrilling 
interest,  when  Steele  Creek  was  the  track  of  armies  in  the  Revolu- 
tionary struggle,  has,  like  the  old  lady  of  Poplar  Tent,  committed 


416  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

lo  writing  the  circumstances  peculiar  to  the  congregation,  whose 
recital  shall  warm  the  heart  of  every  one  who  traces  his  line  of  de- 
scent from  the  actors  in  these  stirring  and  often  bloody  scenes. 
Had  some  one  called  their  attention,  like  the  Pastor  of  Poplar 
Tent,  to  the  difference  between  traditionary  story  growing  more 
and  more  faint  and  uncertain  with  passing  years,  and  the  written 
record  that  may  remain  to  all  time,  in  all  probability  some  of  the 
ladies  of  the  past  generation  would  have  prevented  our  saying 
Steele  Creek  has  no  history. 

But  she  has  records.  Not  written  with  pen  and  ink,  but  graven 
in  the  enduring  rock,  records  brief,  concise,  numerous,  and  cha- 
racteristic. With  the  ever  to  be  commended  practice  of  gathering 
the  remains  of  the  dead  to  the  sepulchres  of  their  fathers,  in  the 
enclosure  near  the  place  of  worship,  securely  walled  in,  sacred  as 
the  place  of  graves,  unexposed  to  the  plough  of  the  stranger  or  the 
cold-hearted  descendant,  this  congregation  has  gone  farther  and 
excelled  their  neighbors,  in  erecting  those  monumental  stones,  that 
shall  tell  what  people  and  families  have  once  been  active  in  the 
business  of  life  on  the  surrounding  plantations,  have  mingled  in 
social  intercourse,  and  in  the  worship  of  God,  in  that  decaying 
house,  have  tasted  of  the  sweets  and  bitterness  of  life,  then  given 
place  to  others,  soon  to  vanish  away  before  the  infants  of  to- 
day. Wave  after  wave  passes  on,  and  those  brief  records  and 
enduring  stones  tell  where  they  brake  on  the  shore  of  eternity. 

Were  these  that  worshipped  here  more  reverential  of  the  dead  ? 
or  more  affectionate  in  attachments  unsevered  by  the  grave  ?  or 
more  abundant  in  resources  to  procure  what  gentle-hearted  poverty 
might,  sigh  for  in  vain,  a  monument,  or  tablet,  or  grave-stone  ; 
a  monument  of  the  dead  ?  or  was  it  simply  that  their  habitations 
were  many  miles  of  "  weary  hauling''''  nearer  the  market  and  the 
workshop  ? 

Will  you  walk  among  these  tombs  1  Perhaps  pride  and  vanity 
shall  be  humbled,  worldliness  may  get  a  death-blow  ;  and  the 
heart  go  away  chastened  from  the  perusal  of  these  monumental 
stones  pointing  faith  to  the  skies,  and  cheerful  under  the  provi- 
dence of  God  that  has  not  }ret  consigned  us  to  the  silent  abodes. 
Let  us  enter  by  this  gate,  in  the  west  wall,  near  the  church,  and 
advancing  a  few  paces  northeastwardly,  read  the  brief  and  only 
record  of  one  that  shed  his  blood  in  the  battle  of  Camden  : — 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  417 

Sacred  to  the  Memory  of 

John  McDowell, 

who  departed  this  life  July  30th,  1795. 

Aged  52  years. 

An  unexceptionable  character, 

in  whose  death 

his    family,  his    neighborhood, 

the  State,  and  the  Church, 

sustained  a  loss. 

in  that  unfortunate  battle  in  which  Gates  was  defeated  and  De 
Kalb  slain,  this  man  received  three  wounds,  the  pains  of  which 
iiever  left  him,  and  went  with  the  honorable  scars  to  his  grave. 
Two  facts  about  this  man  are  of  enduring  interest,  that  he  was  a 
Christian,  and  a  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  that  poured  out  blood 
and  carried  wounds  for  his  country.  One  is  recorded  here, — the 
record  was  too  brief  to  make  mention  of  the  other.  Would  that 
some  hand  that  can  guide  the  iron-pen  would  fill  out  this  record  ; 
and  go  on  through  this  yard,  and  throughout  the  whole  community 
of  Carolina,  and  tell  .to  posterity  the  names,  and  where  lies  the 
dust  of  the  men  who  suffered  in  the  Revolution :  how  it  would 
catch  a  stranger's  eye  !  how  it  would  throb  the  heart  of  a  descend- 
ant, travelling  from  the  far  South  or  West  to  visit  the  sepulchre  of 
his  ancestor  ! 

"  It  is  the  fortune  of  war,"  said  Captain  McDowell,  of  the 
army  of  His  Majesty  George  III.,  while  plundering  this  man's 
house,  in  a  foraging  party,  during  the  brief  sojourn  of  Cornwallis 
in  Charlotte  in  the  year  1780.  "Is  it  soldier-like  to  plunder  a 
•  helpless  family  so,  and  leave  us  nothing  ?"  said  the  wife  and 
mother.  "  But,  madam,  we  must  have  something  to  eat,  and 
these  rebels  won't  bring  it  in."  "  And  have  you  no  women 
and  children  at  home?"  "What  is  your  name,  madam?" 
"  McDowell  is  our  name."  "  McDowell !  that  is  my  name ; 
where  are  you  from  ?"  "  Our  family  came  from  Scotland,  Sir." 
*'  Aye  !  and  very  likely  then  ye  are  kin  of  mine  ;  I  have  some 
here  in  America."  Calling  in  his  men,  saying  they  had  got  enough 
from  that  house,  he  added,  "  An'  likely  ye  have  some  of  your 
family  amongst  the  rebels ;  but  it  is  the  fortune  of  war.  Good- 
bye !  it  is  the  fortune  of  war." 

"  Carried  these  scars  from  the  battle-field  to  his  grave  /"  How 
that  deed  chiselled  in  this  stone  would  move  the  heart  of  every  pas- 
senger. And  if  the  actions  of  the  dead  were  briefly  hinted  at  upon 
their  tomb-stones,  how  coming  generations  would  read  in  the  en- 
closure  at  Sugar  Creek, — Abraham  Alexander,  Elder  in  the 

27 


418  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Church,  and  President  of  the  Convention,  May  20th,  1775  ;  and 
in  Hopewell,  near  the  Arma  Libertatis  of  Bradley,  Davidson  fell 
at  Cowaris  Ford,  resisting  the  Invasion  of  1781 ;  and  in  Bethany, 
Hall,  Captain  of  a  Company,  and  Chaplain  to  the  Regiment  in 
actual  service  in  the  Revolution  ;  and  as  they  read  feel  the  unut- 
terable emotions  of  a  soul  stirred  up  to  deeds  of  excellence  by  the 
memory  of  these  worthies,  the  like  of  whom  the  world  cannot  soon 
see  again. 

Men  begin  to  trace  their  origin  to  the  emigration  from  Ireland 
with  conscious  exultation  ;  and  the  actors,  and  the  deeds,  and  the 
very  places  of  Revolutionary  events  are  invested  with  a  constantly 
increasing  interest.  Where  are  they  ?  is  the  inquiry  of  the  patri- 
otic and  the  young ;  and  could  this  money-seeking  age  but  antici- 
pate the  eagerness  with  which  the  coming  generations  will  search 
for  the  tombs  and  the  battle-fields,  and  the  scenes  of  patriotic  ex- 
ploits on  the  line  of  march  from  Camden  to  Guilford,  it  would 
blush. 

But  look  around  a  little,  see  this  peculiar  fashion  of  these  records 
of  the  dead,  which  mark  the  period  immediately  following  the 
Revolution  : — they  are  made  with  raised  letters,  and  contrast  with 
those  less  shapely  older,  and  these  smoother  new  ones,  that  are 
deeply  chiselled.  The  very  fashion  of  the  monuments  proclaims 
that  we  are  in  a  changing  world.  You  may  count  the  generations, 
from  the  low  and  rudely  sculptured  head-stones  of  the  old  settlers, 
through  the  more  erect  and  stately,  and  the  embossed  letters,  to 
the  polished  marble  of  to-day.  There  is  one  class  peculiar,  and 
not  unpleasing.  On  a  single  head-stone,  in  parallel  columns,  are 
the  short  record  of  man  and  wife  ;  joined  in  life,  joined  in  death, 
joined  in  the  recollection  of  the  living,  and  in  the  hopes  of  eternity, 
they  are  not  separated  in  the  grave  or  the  monuments  of  the  tomb. 
You  may  see  one  erected  by  a  surviving  partner,  in  which  the 
column  for  the  dead,  filled  up,  stands  waiting  for  the  inscription  that 
death  shall  put  upon  the  other. 

None  of  these  monuments  have  stood  a  century.  Very  many, 
whose  shape  and  workmanship  tell  you  they  have  a  claim  to  be 
numbered  among  the  oldest  in  this  yard,  are  to  the  memory  of 
little  children.  As  in  actual  life,  more  have  died  in  infancy  than 
in  old  age  ; .  so  here,  in  the  early  times  of  this  congregation,  more 
monuments  were  raised  for  the  young  than  for  the  old,  and  most 
for  infants.  Did  these  people  love  their  parents  less  ?  or  was  it  the 
tender  affection  of  faith,  softening  the  hearts  of  emigrants  and  their 
children,  and  protecting  from  the  intrusion  of  careless  feet,  and 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  419 

larger  sepulchres,  the  little  graves,  where  slept  the  sweet  flowers, 

plucked  so  soon  away,  not  to  perish,  but  to  bloom  in  heaven  for 

ever  ?     Religion  is  amiable,  faith  is  lovely  :  and  Christ  has  bound 

the  Christian  heart  to  heaven  more  strongly  by  the  little  ones  he 

has  gathered  in  his  arms'and  blessed.    And  when  did  the  departure 

of  threescore  years  and  ten  so  open  the  fountain  of  tears,  as  when 

the  little  one  has  gone  away  ?    What  multitudes  have  said,  in  bitter 

tears,  "  I  will  go  down  into  the  grave  to  my  child,  mourning." 

Wherever  you  turn,  you  see  the  influence  of  the  continually 

moulding  power  of  poetry  and  music.     How  deep  into  the  heart 

the  sacred  songs  of  a  worshipping  congregation,  sung  by  fathers 

and  children  and  great-grandchildren,  shoot  their  influence,  and 

mingle' with  the  springs  of  thought,  and  carry  along  the  rhythm  of 

the  poetry  and  the  cadence  of  the  song,  sacred  from  immemorial 

time.     Read  this  : — 

In  memory  of 

Margaret  Gilmor, 

who  died  March  30th,  1S05. 

A  good  economist  through  life. 

In  all  respects  was  she 

A  tender  mother,  virtuous  wife. 

Deceased  3  score  &  3. 

And'  this  on  the  tomb  of  a  young  person — 

Stop,  careless  youth,  and  read, 

And  as  you  read  consider 
How  soon  the  worm  may  feed 

On  you  and  I  together.     , 

You  feel  at  once  the  cadence  and  rhyme  of  David's  Psalms  in 
metre,  as  sung  in  times  past  by  the  churches  in  Scotland,  and  by 
many  still  in  America. 

Mrs.  Alexander,  of  Poplar  Tent,  in  her  Birthday  Meditations, 
everywhere  shows  that  the  Bible  gave  her  the  truths  for  a  foun- 
dation, her  catechism,  the  framework  of  her  thoughts,  and  Watts 
the  peculiar  fashion.  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns  have  been  sung 
these  sixty  years  or  more  in  Poplar  Tent ;  and  the  version  of 
Rouse  is  still  sung  part  of  every  Sabbath  in  public  worship  in 
Steele  Creek. 

Of  the  four  ministers  laid  in  the  yard,  three  were  of  the  Seced- 
ing Church  and  congregation,  as  they  are  called,  whose  place  of 
worship,  called  Little  Steele  Creek,  is  but  a  short  distance  to  the 
south.  The  congregations  are  much  intermingled,  and  both  have 
retained  a  partiality  for  Davids  Psalms  in  metre. 

It  is  more  than  probable  that  all  the  congregations  of  the  Scotch 


420  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  Irish  origin  would,  in  the  southern  and  southwestern  States, 
have  become  one  body  after  the  Revolution,  having  few  causes  of 
division,  and  many  to  draw  them  into  closer  union,  could  they 
have  agreed  upon  their  Psalmody,  or  used  with  each  other  the 
kindness  and  discretion  that  has  been,  and  now  is,  exercised  in 
Steele  Creek.  In  some  places  the  ineradicable  prejudices  of  the  old, 
that  had  sung,  as  their  fathers  did,  Psalms  of  sacred  melody,  till 
they  had  become  sweet  to  their  ears  and  sweeter  to  their  hearts, 
were  not  dealt  with  as  tenderly  as  they  might  have  been,  in  what 
seemed  their  unreasonableness  in  opposing  all  improvement  as  in- 
novation-. In  other  cases  the  opposition  to  the  use  of  Watts,  or 
any  more  modern  versification,  was  carried  to  a  degree  of  bitter- 
ness unbecoming  the  cause.  In  consequence,  many  congrega- 
tions were  split,  and  some  that  had  been,  and  still  are,  reckoned 
Presbyterians,  were  found  arrayed  under  the  name  of  Seceder  or 
Associate,  not  in  war,  but  in  self-defence. 

The  sacred  songs  of  a  congregation,  and  the  tunes  chosen  for 
their  public  worship,  are  a  type  of  the  piety  of  the  people.  The 
Presbyterian  church  has  happily  retrograded  for  the  last  few 
years,  and  sought  for  old  paths,  and  the  good  way,  to  find  rest. 
Had  not  the  Assembly  afforded  so  excellent  and  grave  a  collection 
of  Psalms  and  Hymns  for  public  worship,  the  ebbing  tide  would 
not  have  stopped  at  Watts's  Version,  it  would  have  retreated  fur- 
ther, and  old  Rouse  would  have  been  sung  again  in  many  con- 
gregations. Many  hymns  had  crept  into  use,  as  profane  to  the 
ears  of  multitudes  of  the  pious,  and  as  indissolubly  connected 
with  irreverent  thoughts,  as  in  the  minds  of  many  the  organ  is 
with  high  church  notions  "  and  all  papistrie"  and  the  flute  and 
the  violin  with  all  revelry.  Congregations  have  been  rent  by  an 
attempted  change  of  their  psalmody,  and  many  more  that  now 
seem  firmly  united  might  be  rent  asunder  by  a  hymn  book,  or  a 
flute,  or  an  organ. 

Of  the  four  ministers  that  lie  in  this  yard,  two  were  brothers  ; 
they  lie  side  by  side  under  one  broad  tablet,  Francis  and  James 
Pringle.  The  latter  was  pastor  of  the  Seceder  church,  on  Steele 
Creek,  and  the  former  of  a  church  in  Ohio.  Francis  died  on  a 
visit  to  his  brother,  on  the  15th  of  March,  1818,  in  the  fourth 
year  of  his  ministry,  and  the  twenty-ninth  year  of  his  age  ;  James 
on  the  28th  of  the  succeeding  October,  in  the  fifth  year  of  his 
ministry,  and  the  thirtieth  year  of  his  age.  The  two  bereaved 
congregations  united  and  erected  one  broad,  white,  marble  slab,  to 
cover  the  graves   of  the  two  pastors,  united  in  their  infancy  and 


REV.  HUMPHREY  HUNTER.  421 

youth,  united  in  their  religion,  undivided  in  death,  and  the  hope 
of  a  glorious  resurrection. 

On  the  numerous  monuments  around  you  may  read  the  names 
of  the  old  families  that  formed  the  band  of  emigrants  to  this  now 
populous  neighborhood; — Neely,  Hart,  Porter,  Bigham,  Sloan, 
M'Dowell,  Grier,  Herron,  Vance,  Davis,  Tagart  and  Allen. 
Many  of  these  names  are  found  among  the  early  settlements  in 
the  Valley  of  Virginia,  which  were  formed  a  short  time  previously 
to  this  on  Steele  Creek. 

Let  us  now  turn  to  the  monument  of  the  patriot  Humphrey 
Hunter,  near  the  Session-house  on  the  southwestern  corner ;  and 
on  which  headstone,  read 

SACRED 

to  the  memory  of  the 
Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter, 

who  departed  this  life  August  21st, 
1S27,  in  the  73d  year  of  his  age. 
He  was  a  native  of  Ireland,  and 
Emigrated  to  America  at  an  early 
period  of  his  life.     He  was  one  of  those 
who  early  promoted  the  cause  of 
freedom  in  Mecklenburg  county, 
May  20th,  1775,  and  subsequently 

bore  an  active  part  in  securing 

the  Independence  of  his  country. 

For  nearly  3S  years  he  labored 

as  a  faithful  and  assiduous 

Ambassador  of  Christ,  strenuously 

enforcing  the  necessity  of  repentance, 

and  pointing  ou!  the  terms  of  Salvation. 

As  a  parent  he  was  kind  and  affectionate  ; 

as  a  friend  warm  and  sincere ;  and  as  a 

Minister  persuasive  and  convincing. 

Reared  by  the  people  of  Steele  Creek  church. 

Mr.  Hunter  undoubtedly  merited  all  that  is  said  of  him  on  the 
monument.  Of  that  race  of  people  of  whom  Gordon  in  his  His- 
tory of  Ireland  says — "  so  great  and  wide  was  the  discontent,  that 
many  thousands  of  the  Protestants  emigrated  from  those  parts  of 
Ulster  to  the  American  settlements,  where  they  soon  appeared  in 
arms  against  the  British  government  and  contributed  powerfully 
by  their  zeal  and  valor,  to  the  separation  of  the  colonies  from  the 
empire  of  Great  Britain."  Of  whom  also,  Col.  Tarleton  in  the  His- 
tory of  his  campaigns  in  1780  and  1781,  speaking  of  the  first  irrup 
tion  of  the  British  troops  under  Lord  Rawdon,  into  the  Waxhaw 
settlement,  on  the  borders  of  North  Carolina — "  the  sentiments  of 


422  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  inhabitants  did  not  correspond  with  his  Lordship's  expecta- 
tions ;  he  then  learned,  what  experience  confirmed,  that  the  Irish 
were  the  most  averse  of  all  the  settlers  to  the  British  government 
in  America."  He  was  born  on  the  14th  of  May,  1755,  in  the 
vicinity  of  Londonderry,  in  the  North  of  Ireland,  the  native  place 
of  his  father.  His  paternal  grandmother  was  from  Glasgow,  Scot- 
land ;  and  his  maternal  from  Brest,  in  France.  The  blood  of  the 
Scotch  and  the  Huguenot  was  blended  in  Ireland,  and  the  de- 
scendants emigrated  to  America  and  flourished  in  the  soil  of  Caro- 
lina. 

Deprived  by  death  of  his  father  in  his  fourth  year,  young 
Hunter  embarked  at  Londonderry  with  his  widowed  mother  for 
Charleston,  S.  C,  on  the  3d  of  May,  1759,  on  board  the  ship 
Helena.  Arriving  on  the  27th  of  August,  the  family  in  a  few 
days  proceeded  to  Mecklenburg  county,  North  Carolina,  where 
the  mother  purchased  land  in  the  Poplar  Tent  congregation,  and 
remained  for  life.  As  the  enjoyment  of  civil  and  religious  liberty 
was  one  of  the  principal  causes  of  his  mother's  emigration,  it  is 
not  wonderful  that  young  Hunter  grew  up  with  a  spirit  jealous  of 
encroachment  from  the  English  crown. 

From  the  time  of  his  reaching  Mecklenburg  till  his  twentieth 
year,  little  is  known  of  him.  We  are  left  to  the  conjec- 
ture that  he  grew  up  familiar  with  all  the  labors  and  privations 
of  a  frontier  life,  by  which  he  became  fitted  to  endure  the  fatigues 
and  sufferings  of  a  military  expedition. 

He  attended  the  convention  in  Mecklenburg,  May  20th,  1775, 
as  one  of  the  numerous  crowd  of  spectators  assembled  on  that 
exciting  occasion.  In  his  account  of  the  meeting  prefixed  to  his 
copy  of  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  he  thus  writes  con- 
cerning the  battle  of  Lexington,  which  took  place  on  the  19th  of 
April :  "  That  was  a  wound  of  a  deepening  gangrenous  nature, 
not  to  be  healed  without  amputation.  Intelligence  of  the  affair 
speedily  spread  abroad,  yea  flew,  as  if  on  the  wings  of  the  wind 
collecting  a  storm.  No  sooner  had  it  reached  Mecklenburg  than 
an  ardent,  patriotic  fire  glowed  almost  in  every  breast ;  it  was  not 
to  be  confined ;  it  burst  into  a  flame  ;  it  blazed  through  every 
corner  of  the  country.  Communications  from  one  to  another 
were  made  with  great  facility.  Committees  were  held  in  various 
neighborhoods  ;  every  man  was  a  politician.  Death  rather  than 
slavery,  was  the  voice  comparatively  of  all." 

Soon  after  the  Declaration  of  Independence,  a  regiment  was 
raised  in  Mecklenburg,  under  Col.  Thomas  Polk,  and  Col.  Adam 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  423 

Alexander,  to  march  against  some  tories  who  were  embodied  in 
the  lower  part  of  the  State.  Mr.  Hunter  went  as  a  private  in 
the  company  of  Capt.  Charles  Polk,  nephew  of  Col.  Thomas 
Polk.  The  tories  dispersed  at  the  approach  of  this  force,  and  the 
regiment  speedily  returned  without  bloodshed  or  violence. 

Mr.  Hunter  then  commenced  his  classical  education  at  Clio's 
Nursery,  in  Rowan  county  (now  Iredell),  under  the  instruction  of 
Rev.  James  Hall.  The  following  certificates,  preserved  by  Mr. 
Hunter,  show  the  order  of  the  congregation,  and  the  care  with 
which  the  morals  of  youth  were  watched  over  by  church  officers 
and  instructors  in  schools.  The  first  appears  to  have  been  required 
for  his  honorable  standing  at  Clio's  Nursery  : 

"  This  is  to  certify,  that  the  Bearer,  Humphrey  Hunter,  has 
lived  in  the  Bounds  of  this  Congregation  upwards  of  four  years, 
and  has  Behaved  himself  Inoffensively,  Not  being  Guilty  of  any 
Immoral  Conduct  known  to  us,  Exposing  him  to  Church  Censure, 
and  is  free  from  public  Scandal.     Given  under  our  hands  at 

"  Poplar  Tent,  this  18th  >  "Ruling  $  "  JTA*fs  Ale^nder, 

day  of  October,  1778.    J  Elders.)     £  «-oss>, 

J  '  '     Robert  Harris. 

When  General  Rutherford  collected  a  brigade  from  Mecklen- 
burg, Rowan,  and  Guilford  counties,  to  repel  the  aggressions  of 
the  Cherokee  Indians,  Mr.  Hunter  received  the  commission  of 
lieutenant  under  Captain  Rob't  Mayben,  in  one  of  the  three  com- 
panies of  cavalry  that  formed  part  of  the  corps.  The  campaign  was 
successful ;  the  Indian  forces  were  scattered,  and  their  chiefs 
taken. 

After  this  campaign  Mr.  Hunter  resumed  his  classical  studies 
at  Queen's  Museum,  in  Charlotte,  under  the  care  of  Dr.  McWhor- 
ter,  who  had  removed  from  New  Jersey  to  take  charge  of  that  in- 
stitution, with  flattering  prospects.  Of  the  moral  and  religious 
character  of  the  young  man,  the  following  certificate  in  the  hand- 
writing of  his  instructor  is  testimony,  viz. : 

"  That  the  bearer,  Humphrey  Hunter,  has  continued  a  student 
in  Clio's  Nursery  from  August,  1778,  till  last  October;  that  he 
applied  to  his  studies  with  diligence  ;  was  admitted  to  the  sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper  in  Bethany  Congregation  ;  has  during 
the  aforesaid  Time  conducted  himself  as  a  good  member  both  of 
religious  and  civil  Society,  and  is  hereby  well  recommend[ed]  to 
the  Regard  of  any  Christian  Community  where  Divine  Providence 
may  order  his  Lot, — is  certified  by 

"  Bethany,  Jan.  12,  1780.  "  Jas.  Hall,  V.D.M  " 


424  SKETCHES    OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

In  the  summer  of  1780,  Liberty  Hall  Academy,  or  Queen's 
Museum,  as  it  was  originally  named,  was  broken  up  by  the  ap- 
proach of  the  British  army  under  Lord  Cornwallis,  after  the  sur- 
render of  Charleston,  and  the  massacre  of  Buford's  regiment  on 
the  Waxhaw,  and  the  course  of  study  never  resumed  under  the 
direction  of  Dr.  McWhorter,  who  returned  to  New  Jersey.  Upon 
the  breaking  up  of  the  College,  the  younger  students  were  com- 
mended to  their  parents  and  guardians,  and  the  older  were  urged 
to  take  the  field  in  the  cause  of  their  country .  It  is  not  to  be  sup- 
posed that  young  Hunter  required  much  urging  to  take  up  arms 
with  his  fellow-citizens  of  Mecklenburg,  who  five  years  before 
had  pledged  "  their  lives  and  their  honor."  Upon  the  orders 
of  General  Rutherford  to  the  battalions  of  the  western  counties  of 
the  State,  a  brigade  assembled  at  Salisbury.  For  the  first  three 
weeks,  Mr.  Hunter  acted  as  commissary,  and  afterwards  as 
lieutenant  in  the  company  of  Captain  Thomas  Givens.  Having 
scoured  the  tory  settlement  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  Yadkin, 
the  forces  under  General  Rutherford  joined  the  army  of  General 
Gates  at  Cheraw. 

On  the  morning  of  the  16th  of  August,  the  unfortunate  battle  of 
Camden  took  place  by  the  mutual  surprise  of  the  marching  armies  ; 
and  the  forces  under  Gates  were  completely  routed.  General 
Rutherford  was  wounded  and  taken  prisoner,  with  many  of  his 
men.  Mr.  Hunter,  soon  after  his  surrender  as  prisoner  of  war, 
witnessed  the  death  of  the  Baron  De  Kalb.  He  tells  us,  he  saw 
the  Baron,  without  suite  or  aide,  and  apparently  separated  from  his 
command,  ride  facing  the  enemy.  The  British  soldiers  clapping 
their  hands  on  their  shoulders,  in  reference  to  his  epaulettes, 
shouted,  "  a  General,  a  rebel  General !"  Immediately  a  man  on 
horseback  (not  Tarleton)met  him,  and  demanded  his  sword.  The 
Baron,  with  apparent  reluctance,  presented  the  hilt ;  but  drawing 
back,  said  in  French,  "  Are  you  an  officer,  sir  ?"  His  antagonist, 
perhaps  not  understanding  his  question,  with  an  oath,  more  sternly 
demanded  his  sword.  The  Baron  dashed  from  him,  disdaining,  as 
is  supposed,  to  surrender  to  any  but  an  officer,  and  rode  in  front  of 
the  British  line,  with  his  hand  extended.  The  cry  along  the  line  of, 
"  A  rebel  General,"  was  speedily  followed  by  a  volley,  and  after 
riding  some  twenty  or  thirty  rods,  the  Baron  fell.  He  was  im- 
mediately raised  to  his  feet,  stripped  of  his  hat,  coat,  and  neck- 
cloth, and  placed  with  his  hands  resting  on  the  end  of  a  wagon. 
His  body  had  been  pierced  with  seven  balls.  While  standing  in 
this  situation,  the  blood  streaming  through  his  shirt,  Cornwallis, 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  425 

with  his  suite,  rode  up  ;  and  being  told  that  the  wounded  man  was 
De  Kalb,  he  addressed  him — "  I  am  sorry,  sir,  to  see  you ;  not 
sorry  that  you  are  vanquished,  but  that  you  are  so  severely 
wounded."  Having  given  orders  to  an  officer  to  administer  to  the 
necessities  of  the  wounded  man  as  far  as  possible,  the  British 
General  rode  on  to  secure  his  victory  ;  and  in  a  little  time  the 
brave  and  generous  De  Kalb,  who  had  seen  service  in  the  armies 
of  France,  and  had  embarked  in  the  cause  of  the  American  States, 
breathed  his  last. 

After  seven  days'  confinement  in  a  prison-yard  in  Camden,  Mr. 
Hunter  was  taken,  with  about  fifty  officers,  to  Orangeburg,  S.  C, 
where  he  remained  without  hat  or  coat  until  Friday,  the  13th  of 
November,  about  three  months  from  the  time  of  his  captivity.  On 
that  day  he  went  to  visit  a  friendly  lady,  who  had  promised  him 
a  homespun  coat.  On  his  way  he  was  met  by  a  horseman  of  Col. 
Fisher's  command,  who  accused  him  of  being  beyond  the  lines, 
and  sternly  ordered  him  back  to  the  station  ;  threatening  him  with 
confinement,  and  trial  for  breach  of  his  parole.  Hunter  explained, 
and  apologized,  and  promised,  but  all  to  no  purpose.  "  To  the 
station  !"  "  take  the  road  !"  Up  the  road  went  the  rebel  whig,  sour 
and  reluctant,  and  made  indignant  by  the  frequent  goading  with 
the  point  of  the  tory  royalist's  sword.  Passing  a  large  fallen 
pine,  from  which  the  limbs  had  been  burned,  he  suddenly  leaped 
the  trunk.  The  horseman  fired  one  of  his  pistols, — missed  his 
aim,  and  leaped  his  horse  after  him.  Hunter  adroitly  leaped  the 
other  side  the  trunk,  and  began  throwing  at  the  horseman  the  pine 
knots  that  lay  thick  around.  The  second  pistol  was  discharged, 
but  without  effect.  By  a  blow  of  a  well-aimed  pine  knot  the  horse- 
man was  brought  to  the  ground,  and  disarmed  by  his  prisoner. 
Hunter  returned  the  tory  his  sword,  on  condition  that  he  should 
never,  on  any  condition,  make  known  that  any  of  the  prisoners  had 
crossed  the  forbidden  line,  or  any  way  transgressed,  promising 
himself  to  keep  the  whole  matter  of  the  late  rencontre  an  inviolable 
secret. 

On  the  following  Sabbath  a  citation  was  issued  by  Col.  Fisher, 
directing  all  militia  prisoners  to  appear  at  the  Court-House  by  12 
o'clock  on  Monday.  The  affair  had  been  discovered.  During 
the  contest,  the  horse  galloped  off  to  the  station  with  the  saddle 
and  holsters  empty,  and  when  the  dismounted  rider  appeared  a 
little  time  after  with  the  bruises  of  the  pine  knots  too  visible  to  be 
denied,  the  curious  inquiries  that  followed,  baffled  all  his  efforts  at 
concealment ;  it  was  soon  noised  abroad  that  one  or  more  of  the 


426  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

prisoners  had  broken  parole  and  attacked  an  officer.  The  report 
reaching  the  Colonel's  ears,  the  order  was  issued  for  their  appear- 
ance at  the  Court-House.  On  Sabbath  night,  Hunter  and  a  few 
others,  expecting  close  confinement  would  follow  their  assembling 
on  Monday  noon,  seized  and  disarmed  the  guard  and  escaped.  He 
was  nine  nights  in  making  his  way  back  to  Mecklenburg,  lying  by 
during  the  day  to  avoid  the  patroles  of  the  British,  and  sustaining 
himself  upon  the  greenest  of  the  ears  of  corn  he  could  gather 
from  the  unharvested  fields. 

In  a  few  days  after  his  return  home,  he  again  joined  the  army, 
and  became  a  lieutenant  of  cavalry  under  Col.  Henry  Hampton, 
and  attached  to  the  regiment  under  Col.  Henry  Lee,  received  a 
wound  in  the  battle  at  the  Eutaw  Springs,  where  so  much  personal 
bravery  was  displayed.  His  military  services  closed  with  that 
campaign ;  and  he  returned  home  with  a  good  name,  his  bravery 
unquestioned  and  his  integrity  unsullied. 

He  resumed  his  classical  studies  at  the  school  taught  by  the 
Rev.  Robert  Archibald,  near  Poplar  Tent,  as  appears  by  the  fol- 
lowing certificate,  in  the  irregular  hand  and  crooked  lines  of  his 
preceptor,  which  is  the  only  evidence  at  hand  of  the  classical 
school  in  that  congregation  immediately  after  the  war. 

"  Mecklenburg,  St.  N.  Carolina, 

"  This  is  to  certify,  that  the  bearer,  Humphrey  Hunter,  has 
been  some  years  at  this  school  in  the  capacity  of  a  student ;  and 
during  the  term  has  conducted  himself  in  a  sober,  genteel  and 
Christian  manner ;  and  we  recommend  him  as  a  youth  of  good 
character,  to  any  public  seminary  where  Divine  Providence  may 
cast  his  lot. 

"  Certified  and  signed  by  order  of  the  trustees,  this  3d  day  of 
Nov.,  1785. 

"  Robert  Archibald,  V.D.M." 

This  certificate  of  character  appears  to  have  been  given  as  a 
requisite  for  holding  his  standing  at  Mount  Zion  College,  his  Alma 
Mater.  The  following  from  the  hand  of  Mr.  Archibald  was  also 
given  at  the  same  time,  and  probably  for  the  same  purpose. 

"  Mecklenburg,  State  of  North  Carolina. 

"  This  is  to  certify  that  the  bearer,  Humphrey  Hunter,  has 
lived  in  the  bounds  of  this  congregation  from  his  Infancy,  and  be- 
haved himself  in  a  sober  and  Christian  manner,  is  in  full  com- 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  427 

munion  with  the  church,  and  clear  of  all  public  scandal  known  to 
us  ;  and  we  recommend  him  to  the  care  of  any  Christian  society 
where  God  in  his  providence  may  cast  his  lot.  Certified  and 
signed  by  order  of  sessions,  at  Poplar  Tent,  this  3d  of  November, 
1785. 

"  Robt.  Archibald,  V.D.M." 

During  the  summer  of  1785  he  was  entered  as  a  student  of 
Mount  Zion  College,  at  Winnsborough,  in  South  Carolina,  which 
after  the  war  for  a  time  supplied  the  place  of  Liberty  Hall,  or 
Queen's  Museum,  at  Charlotte,  in  completing  the  classical  educa- 
tion of  young  men  desirous  of  entering  upon  professional  life. 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  his  degree,  granted  by  the  trustees 
of  that  institution,  which  has  long  since  passed  away,  after  having 
been  for  a  time  a  shining  light  directing  in  the  path  of  science  and 
literature,  Alumni  that  have  honored  their  Alma  Mater  and  the 
church,  men  in  whom  any  institution  may  have  gloried.  The 
original  is  in  beautiful  German  Text. 

"  PR^FECTUS    ET    CURATORES 
COLLEGII    MONTIS    SIONIS, 

Omnibus  et  singulis  ad  quos  haec  literae  pervenerint. 

Salutem  in  Domini. 

Notum    sit  quod  nobis  placet  Auctoritate   publico  Diplomate 

nobis  commissa,   Humfredum   Hunter,    candidatum    primum    in. 

Artibus  Graduum  competentem  examine  sufficiente  previo  approba- 

tum   Titulo  graduque    Artium   liberalium   Baccalaurei  adornare. 

In  cujus  Rei  Testimonium  Literis  Sigillo  Collegii  munitis  nomina 

subscripsimus. 

"  Thomas  H.  McCaule,  Prof. -I. 

"John  Winn,    >     Trustees » 
James  Craig,  S 

"  Datum  in  Aula  Collegii,  apud  Winnsburgium,  in  Carolina  Me- 
ridionali,  quarto  Nonas  Julii,  Anno  Arce  Christi  millesimo  septua- 
gentesimo  et  octogesimo  septimo." 

Having  pursued  the  study  of  theology  about  two  years,  under 
the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  he  received  license  to  preach 
the  gospel,  in  the  following  words,  viz.,: 

"  Bullock's  Creek,  Oct.  15th,  1789. 
"  The  Presbytery  having  examined  Mr.  Humphrey  Hunter  on 


428  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  Latin  and  Greek  languages,  the  sciences  and  divinity,  and 
being  well  satisfied  with  his  moral  and  religious  character,  and  his 
knowledge  of  the  languages,  sciences,  and  divinity,  do  license  him 
to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel  of  Jesus  Christ, — and  affection- 
ately recommend  him  to  our  vacancies. 

"  James  Edmunds,  Mod'r. 

"  Robert  Hall,  Presbyt.  Clerk." 

A  call,  in  the  usual  form  of  the  Confession  of  Faith,  was  made 
out  for  Mr.  Hunter,  from  the  congregations  of  Hopewell,  on  Jef- 
frey's Creek,  and  Aimwell,  on  Pee  Dee,  in  South  Carolina,  and 
signed  the  1st  day  of  October,  1791,  by  the  following  names  : — 
Thomas  Wickham,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  John  Ervin,  L.  Derkins, 
Hugh  Ervin,  Thos.  Cann,  Jerem.  Gurley,  Aaron  Gasque,  Wm. 
Stone,  John  Gregg,  Joseph  Burch,  Hance  Davis,  Joseph  Jelly, 
Hugh  Muldrow,  Jas.  Greer,  John  Carson,  W.  Flagler,  Wm.  Gregg, 
James  Thompson,  James  Hudson,  Joseph  Gregg,  Thos.  Hudson, 
John  Cooper,  David  Bigem,  John  Orr,  James  Orr,  J.  Baxter,  Wm. 
Wilson,  Henry  Futhey,  G.  Bigham,  Alexr.  Pettigrew,  Wm.  Mul- 
drow, J.  Muldrow,  jr.,  James  Cole,  John  McRee,  John  Wither- 
spoon, Thomas  Canady,  Robert  Gregg. 

Probably  not  a  man  that  signed  the  call  now  lives  ;  but  the  pre- 
ceding list  may  direct  some  of  their  descendants  to  a  parent's 
name,  at  the  same  time  it  shows  to  us  the  manner  of  signing  a  call 
some  fifty  years  ago.  The  salary  promised  was  £120  sterling  per 
annum,  about  $533,33J  cts. 

Mr.  Hunter's  name  first  appears  upon  the  records  of  Synod  as  a 
member  in  1793. 

In  the  year  1795,  Mr.  Hunter  removed  to  Lincoln  County,  and 
became  a  member  of  Orange  Presbytery  on  the  first  day  of  its 
first  meeting,  at  Bethphage,  Dec.  24th.  The  same  year,  by  act 
of  Synod,  the  Presbytery  of  Concord  was  set  off,  consisting  of 
twelve  members,  of  which  he  was  to  be  one.  Upon  a  call,  made 
out  in  the  usual  form,  for  half  his  time,  by  the  inhabitants  of 
Goshen  congregation,  promising  him  sixty-two  pounds  ten  shil- 
lings current  money  of  North'  Carolina,  or  fifty  pounds  in  gold  or 
silver  dollars  at  eight  shillings,  and  gold  in  proportion,  the  follow- 
ing names  appear,  viz. :  Robert  Johnson,  Robert  Johnson,  Jr., 
Andrew  Johnson,  Joseph  Dickson,  Wm.  Rankin,  Henry  Davies, 
John  McCaul,  Robert  Alexander,  James  Martin,  James  Rutledge, 
James  Gullick,  Benjamin  Smith,  James  Dickson,  William  Moore, 
Jonathan  Graves,  David  Baxter,  John  Moore,  Samuel  Caldwell, 
Robert  Curry.     This  call  he  accepted,  March  30th,  1796. 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  429 

It  would  be  interesting  to  the  present  inhabitants  of  Unity  con- 
gregation, which  was  united  with  Goshen  in  the  labors  of  a  pastor 
and  in  his  support,  their  call  having  been  presented  and  accepted 
March  30th,  1796,  could  the  signers  of  the  call  from  that  congre- 
gation be  given ;  it,  however,  was  not  found  among  the  papers  of 
Mr.  Hunter.  These  two  congregations  embraced  the  region  of 
country  lying  along  the  west  side  of  the  Catawba,  from  some  dis- 
tance above  Beattie's  Ford,  to  the  South  Carolina  line,  and  from  the 
river  to  the  large  congregation  of  Olney,  at  that  time  flourishing 
and  extending  over  a  large  section  of  the  country  southwest  of 
the  Court-House. 

Goshen  was  a  place  of  occasional  preaching  at  a  very  early 
period  of  the  settlement  of  the  region  west  of  the  Catawba.  Its 
location  was  decided  by  a  singular  circumstance.  A  stranger  pass- 
ing through  the  country,  probably  in  search  of  a  proper  place  for 
emigration,  took  sick,  and  after  a  length  of  time,  died.  During 
his  sickness  and  the  previous  short  sojourn  among  the  people  along 
the  west  bank  of  the  Catawba,  his  pleasing  manners  gained  him 
the  sympathies  of  the  whole  settlement.  He  was  buried  on  the 
brow  of  a  gentle  declivity.  One  family  after  another  chose  to 
bury  their  dead  on  the  declivity  by  the  stranger  ;  and  that  spot  be- 
came the  place  of  interment  for  the  whole  neighborhood.  In  choos- 
ing the  place  for  their  tent  for  public  worship,  and  afterwards  for 
the  church,  their  reverence  for  the  dead  led  the  inhabitants  to  the 
same  spot.  The  first  church  stood  a  few  rods  from  the  present, 
at  one  corner  of  the  burying-ground. 

Before  the  erection  of  Goshen  and  Unity  as  churches  and  con- 
gregations, the  nearest  places  of  worship  were  Steele  Creek,  Centre, 
Hopewell,  Charlotte,  and  Olney.  To  these  places  the  most  con- 
tiguous neighborhoods  resorted,  till  the  increasing  numbers,  as  well 
as  the  distance,  rendered  the  organization  of  the  two  congregations 
necessary.  Owing  to  the  small  number  of  clergymen  and  the 
habits  incident  to  a  frontier  settlement,  the  bounds  of  the  congrega- 
tions were  large,  and  the  border  families  rode  far  for  the  ordinances 
of  the  Gospel.  In  this  unavoidable  arrangement,  there  were,  in 
the  early  settlement  of  the  country,  many  advantages  that  went  far 
to  counterbalance  all  the  difficulties  that  arose  from  the  distance  to 
the  house  of  God. 

For  many  years  before  his  death,  Mr.  Hunter  became  pastor  of 
Steele  Creek  church,  having  received  their  call  in  1805,  and  devoted 
to  the  people  of  that  charge  part  of  his  unremitting  labors ;  the  re- 
mainder he  gave  to  New  Hope,  having  been  released  from  Goshen 


430  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

in  1804.  At  his  death  the  people  of  Steele  Creek  had  the  privilege 
of  giving  him  a  place  of  sepulture,  and  of  erecting  a  marble  head- 
stone to  his  grave. 

His  own  taste,  and  the  necessities  of  his  neighbors  and  parish- 
ioners led  him,  in  the  almost  total  want  of  good  physicians, 
to  pay  some  attention  to  medicine,  and  to  prescribe  in  cases  of 
necessity.  His  success  became  burdensome,  and  threatened,  for  a 
time,  to  interfere  with  his  ministerial  duties  and  his  proper  atten- 
tion to  his  own  family  concerns.  This  laborious  attention  to  the 
physical  maladies  of  his  people  was  never  a  source  of  pecuniary 
profit ;  it  was  the  exercise  of  his  benevolence. 

As  a  minister  he  was  always  distinguished  for  his  evangelical 
sentiments  and  orthodoxy  according  to  the  Confession  of  Faith  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church.  In  his  preaching  he  was  earnest,  un- 
assuming, and  often  eloquent.  Possessing  a  strong  mind  with 
powers  of  originality,  and  trained  by  the  discipline  of  a  classical 
education  under  men  capable  of  producing  scholars,  he  consecrat- 
ed all  his  talents  and  acquirements  to  preaching  the  everlasting 
gospel,  counting  all  things  but  loss  for  the  excellency  of  the  know- 
ledge of  Christ  Jesus.  In  his  advanced  years  his  infirmities  very 
much  contracted  his  active  labors,  without  impairing  the  vigor  and 
discrimination  of  his  mental  powers,  or  the  fervency  and  faithful- 
ness of  his  preaching. 

He  possessed  in  a  high  degree  a  talent  for  refined  sarcasm  ;  and 
his  answer  to  triflers  with  his  office  or  the  great  truths  of  religion, 
and  sticklers  for  unimportant  things,  was  a  shaft  from  this  quiver 
that  pierced  to  the  marrow.  His  benevolence  as  a  minister,  and 
his  tenderness  as  a  neighbor,  forbade  its  use  in  his  social  intercourse. 
Honest  objections,  and  difficulties  arising  from  want  of  knowledge 
or  proper  reflection,  he  would  meet  kindly  with  truth  and  argu- 
ment ;  sophistry  and  cavils  he  considered  as  deserving  nothing  but 
the  lash  which  he  knew  how  to  apply  till  it  stung  like  a  scorpion. 

His  habits  of  preparation  for  the  pulpit,  like  those  of  the  labori- 
ous men  of  his  own  generation  and  the  days  preceding,  were 
reading,  prayerful  meditation,  and  short  notes.  As  he  wrote  no 
sermons  in  full,  lie  of  course  never  read  his  discourses  from  the 
pulpit.  A  close  observer  of  men  and  things,  a  close  reasoner,  he 
was  classic  in  his  style  and  systematic  in  his  preaching.  His  con- 
gregations were  well  instructed  in  divine  truth  according  to  the 
orthodoxy  of  the  Confession  of  Faith ;  and  were  sufficiently  tried 
to  test  their  knowledge  and  their  faith  during  the  excitements  and 
discussions  that  accompanied  the  great  revival. 


REV.    HUMPHREY    HUNTER.  431 

He  met  death  in  a  manner  becoming  a  Christian  minister,  re- 
signed and  unshaken,  and  expired  on  the  21st  of  August,  1827,  in 
the  74th  year  of  his  age.  The  writer  of  a  short  memoir  that  ap- 
peared the  year  succeeding,  the  only  one  of  Mr.  Hunter  that  ever 
was  given  to  the  public,  concludes  thus, — "  The  stars  of  the  Re- 
volutionary contest  are  rapidly  setting.  They  shine  with  addi- 
tional lustre  as  they  go  down  from  our  view.  They  leave  behind 
them  a  generation  blessed  with  the  light  of  their  example,  and 
permitted  to  gather  the  fruit  of  their  toils.  Another  mighty  revo- 
lution must  take  place  before  such  a  cluster  of  worthies  will  live 
and  labor  together.  When,  therefore,  they  pass  from  the  stage  of 
action,  let  not  their  posterity  cease  to  venerate  their  names  and  re- 
cord their  virtues." 

Mr.  Hunter  was  above  the  ordinary  stature,  of  a  robust  frame, 
and  dark  complexion.  His  eye  indicated  great  intrepidity  of  cha- 
racter, and  at  times  sternness,  and  sometimes  the  withering  sar- 
casm that  he  knew  how  to  wield  with  so  much  power.  Of  great 
simplicity  of  manners,  his  strong  feelings  and  great  candor  made 
him  above  all  affectation  ;  sincere  in  his  friendship,  ingenuous  in 
his  dealings  with  men ;  while  the  evil  feared  him,  good  men 
loved  him, — and  as  they  knew  him  better  they  only  loved  him  the 
more. 


432  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

CENTRE      CONGREGATION. 

General  Davidson  fell  on  the  eastern  bank  of  the  Catawba,  on  the 
western  borders  of  Centre  Congregation,  resisting  the  passage  of  the 
British  forces  under  Lord  Cornwallis.  After  the  celebrated  victory 
of  the  Cowpens,  Morgan  hastened  with  his  numerous  prisoners 
towards  Virginia,  taking  his  route  through  Lincoln  county,  North 
Carolina,  in  the  direction  of  Beattie's  Ford,  that  he  might  place  the 
army  of  Greene  between  him  and  the  British  army.  Cornwallis 
moved  up  the  western  side  of  the  river  to  intercept  him  and  recover 
the  prisoners ;  Greene  moved  up  the  eastern  side  to  meet  and  succor 
his  friend. 

Here  commenced  the  trial  of  generalship  and  skill  between  the 
two  commanders,  which  was  decided  at  the  battle  of  Guilford,  in  the 
following  March.  The  three  bodies  having  about  the  same  distance 
to  march,  to  reach  the  ford,  everything  depended  on  the  speed  of 
Morgan's  forces,  encumbered  as  they  were  with  their  numerous  rest- 
less captives.  Greene  left  his  army,  and  with  a  small  guard  rode 
across  the  country,  and  by  his  presence  cheered  the  soldiers  of 
Morgan  to  still  greater  speed;  they  gained  the  ford  first.  The 
morning  after  the  crossing,  Cornwallis  was  on  the  southern  bank, 
hot  in  pursuit,  but  disappointed  of  his  prey.  The  river,  during  the 
succeeding  night,  became  swollen  from  the  abundant  rains  ;  and  the 
two  days  of  delay  to  the  British  army,  gave  Morgan  that  advance 
towards  Virginia,  that  his  Lordship  turned  his  whole  attention  to 
Greene,  from  whom  he  could  not,  with  honor,  retreat, — or  cease  to 
pursue. 

Leaving  General  Davidson  with  the  North  Carolina  force,  to 
delay  the  crossing  of  the  enemy  as  long  as  possible,  Greene  hastened 
on,  in  the  rear  of  Morgan,  to  throw  the  Yadkin  between  him  and 
his  advancing  foe.  Graham's  rifle  company  was  stationed  at 
Cowan's  Ferry,  a  few  miles  below  Beattie's  Ford,  where,  after  some 
manoeuvres,  the  passage  was  at  length  attempted,  and  kept  up  a 
galling  fire  on  the  British  line,  as  it  waded  the  Catawba.  Many 
officers  and  privates  went  down  the  stream  or  disappeared  beneath 
the  waters,  pierced  by  their  deadly  balls.  General  Davidson, 
attracted  by  the  firing,  rode  to  the  bank  for  observation,  ac«gmpanied 


CENTRE     CONGREGATION.  J33 

by  Colonel  Polk,  of  Charlotte,  and  the  Rev.  Thomas  H.  McCaule, 
the  pastor  of  the  congregation  that  now  lay  in  the  track  of  the  hos- 
tile armies.  In  a  few  moments  he  fell  from  his  horse,  dead,  by  a  rifle 
shot.  As  the  British  infantry  used  muskets  only,  it  was  supposed 
that  a  tory,  who  had  acted  as  guide  to  the  enemy,  and  knew  David- 
son, gave  the  fatal  shot  from  the  opposite  bank.  No  one  ever 
claimed  the  honor  of  the  death  of  the  most  popular  man  in  the  re- 
gion ;  and  his  rank  did  not  protect  his  body  from  being  plundered 
to  nakedness.  The  militia  and  volunteers  now  gave  way,  and  has- 
tened after  Greene,  who  was  in  Salisbury  refreshing  himself,  with 
Mrs.  Steele,  in  preparation  for  crossing  the  Yadkin. 

General  William  Davidson  was  born  in  Lancaster  county,  Penn- 
sylvania, 1746,  the  youngest  son  of  George  Davidson.  The  family 
removed  to  Carolina  in  1750.  Young  Davidson  was  educated  at 
Queen's  Museum.  He  was  major  of  one  of  the  first  regiments  raised 
in  Carolina  during  the  war.  The  monument  voted  by  Congress  has 
never  been  erected.  His  body,  buried  without  a  coffin,  lies  like  that 
of  his  friends,  Dr.  Brevard  and  Hezekiah  Alexander,  without  a  stone 
to  mark  the  place. 

The  boundaries  of  Centre  congregation  were  originally  large,  and, 
with  the  limits  of  Thyatira,  filled  a  broad  space  from  the  Ca- 
tawba to  the  Yadkin :  they  began  at  John  Cathey's,  south  of  Beattie's 
Ford,  on  the  Catawba ;  from  thence  to  Matthew  M'Corkle's  and 
Thomas  Harris's ;  from  thence  to  David  Kerr's,  on  the  old  Salisbury 
Road ;  from  thence  to  Galbraith  Nails,  northeast  corner ;  from 
thence  to  John  Oliphant's ;  from  thence  down  the  river  to  the  first- 
named  place. 

The  first  Presbytery  that  met  between  the  two  rivers  held  its 
sessions  in  Centre ;  the  first  meeting  of  Concord  Presbytery  was  in 
Centre ;  and  there  too  the  "  Synod  of  the  Carolinas"  was  organized. 
The  tradition  is,  that  the  first  white  child  born  between  the  two 
rivers  was  in  Centre,  in  a  tent  pitched  upon  a  broad  flat  rock ;  the 
name  of  the  child  is  not  certain,  supposed  however  to  be  Mary  Bar- 
net,  granddaughter  of  Thomas  Spratt,  that  settled  finally  near  Char- 
lotte, and  held  the  first  court  of  Mecklenburg  county  at  his  house. 

The  location  of  Centre  Meeting-house  was  a  matter  of  compro- 
mise in  1765.  The  various  missionaries  that  had  been  sent  to 
preach  in  the  southern  vacancies,  had  previously  held  meetings  for 
public  worship  at  Osborne's  meeting-house,  and  various  private 
houses  in  the  different  neighborhoods.  By  the  persuasions  of  the 
delegates  sent  by  the  Synod  of  Philadelphia,  the  various  preaching- 
places  were  given  up,  and  a  centre  spot  chosen  for  the  permanent 

28 


434  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

worship  of  the  large  congregation  which  lies  partly  in  each  of  the 
two  counties,  Iredell  and  Mecklenburg.  The  names  of  many  fami- 
lies embraced  in  this  congregation  were  notorious  in  the  Revolution, 
particularly  those  of  Brevard,  Osborne,  and  Davidson. 

The  inhabitants  were  of  the  same  race  as  those  of  Sugar  Creek 
and  Hopewell ;  of  equal  spirit  in  public  matters,  and  as  decided  in 
religion ;  and  were  building  their  cabins  at  the  same  time  with  the 
congregation  of  Thyatira. 

During  the  Revolutionary  war,  the  Rev.  Thomas  Harris  McCaule 
was  pastor  of  this  large  congregation,  having  been'  ordained  in 
1776,  when  the  congregation  covered  about  ten  miles  square- 
Little  is  known  of  his  early  life.  Scarce  of  the  medium  height,  of 
a  stout  frame,  and  full  body,  of  dark,  piercing  eyes,  a  pleasant  coun- 
tenance, and  winning  manners,  with  a  fine  voice,  he  was  popular 
both  as  a  preacher  and  as  a  man.  Public-spirited,  he  encouraged 
the  Revolution ;  and  in  the  time  of  the  invasion,  went  with  his 
flock  to  the  camp,  and  was  beside  General  William  Davidson  when 
he  fell.  Of  so  much  repute  was  he,  as  a  public-spirited  man,  that 
he  was  once  run  for  the  Governor's  chair,  and  failed  in  the  election 
by  a  very  small  vote.  His  classical  attainments  were  such,  that 
after  the  peace,  when  Mount  Zion  College  was  established  at 
Winnsborough  in  South  Carolina,  he  was  made  its  principal  Pro- 
fessor.    Many  eminent  ministers  were  trained  under  his  instruction. 

Who  was  Mr.  McCaule's  predecessor  is  not  now  known,  and  his 
successor  is  equally  undetermined.  Dr.  McRee,  in  his  manuscripts, 
tells  us  that  there  was  a  flourishing  classical  school  in  the  bounds 
of  Centre  at  a  very  early  period,  and  after  continuing  about  twenty 
years  was  broken  up  by  the  invasion.  In  this  school  he  was  him- 
self educated ;  also,  Professor  Houston  of  Princeton  College,  Rev. 
Josiah  Lewis,  Colonel  Adlai  Osborne,  Dr.  Ephraim  Brevard  and 
others.  But  he  does  not  tell  us  whether  Mr.  McCaule  was  con- 
nected with  the  school.  A  part  of  the  time  it  was  carried  on  by  a 
Mr.  McEwin. 

Dr.  James  McRee,  who  ministered  for  about  thirty  years  to  this 
congregation,  was  born  May  10th,  1752,  about  a  mile  from  the 
present  place  of  worship,  on  the  place  now  owned  by  Rufus  Reed, 
Esq.  His  parents  were  from  the  County  Down,  Ireland,  and  emi- 
grated soon  after  their  marriage.  "  They  belonged,"  he  says,  "  to 
the  Presbyterian  denomination,  talked  often  about  the  reformation 
from  Popery,  the  bloody  Queen  Mary,  the  battle  of  the  Boyne,  the 
death  of  Duke  Schomberg,  the  gunpowder  plot,  and  the  accession 
of  William,  Prince  of  Orange,  to  the  British  throne." 


CENTRE    CONGREGATION.  435 

From  his  description  of  his  father's  library,  we  can  have  some 
idea  of  the  man,  and  probably  of  the  times  and  neighborhood,  as  it 
is  not  spoken  of  as  extraordinary,  except  in  its  size.  It  consisted 
of  the  Holy  Bible,  the  Confession  of  Faith,  Vincent's  Catechism, 
Boston's  Fourfold  State  of  Man,  Allein's  Alarm  to  Sinners,  Baxter's 
Call  to  the  Unconverted,  and  his  Saint's  Rest.  As  a  specimen  of 
the  religious  reading  of  Centre  congregation,  it  is  commendable, 
considering  the  difficulty  of  procuring  books,  and  the  fact  that  few 
possessed  more.  The  religious  sentiments  formed  from  these  vol- 
umes were  not  likely  to  be  erroneous  or  inefficient.  He  further 
adds  that  it  was  the  custom  eveiy  Sabbath  day,  to  ask  the  questions 
of  the  Shorter  Catechism  to  each  member  of  the  family  in  rotation ; 
and  the  young  people  that  could  not  repeat  them,  were  not  con- 
sidered as  holding  a  respectable  rank  in  society. 

At  the  age  of  twenty-one,  he  entered  the  junior  class  in  Prince- 
ton College,  in  the  year  1773,  having  received  his  common  and  his 
academic  education  while  residing  in  Carolina.  After  receiving 
his  degree  of  A.B.,  he  spent  a  year  as  private  tutor  in  the  family  of 
Colonel  Burwell  Bassett,  in  New  Kent  county,  Virginia.  The 
winter  of  1776  and  1777  he  passed  reading  theology,  under  the 
direction  of "  his  highly  esteemed  former  teacher  and  friend,  the 
Rev.  Joseph  Alexander,  of  Bullock's  Creek,  in  South  Carolina."  In 
April,  1778,  he  was  licensed  by  Concord  Presbytery  to  preach  the 
gospel ;  and  in  the  November  following  he  was  settled  in  his  own 
house  in  Steele  Creek  congregation,  as  pastor  of  the  church,  having 
been  united  in  marriage  to  Rachel  Cruser  of  Mapleston,  New  Jer- 
sey.    He  continued  with  this  congregation  about  twenty  years. 

During  the  time  of  his  being  pastor  of  this  congregation  the  sub- 
ject of  psalmody  was  extensively  discussed,  particularly  in  relation 
to  the  introduction  of  Watts's  Psalms  and  Hymns.  Mr.  M'Ree  de- 
livered a  course  of  sermons  on  the  whole  subject  of  Psalmody  as 
part  of  Christian  worship,  and  condensed  the  substance  of  his  dis- 
courses into  an  essay  of  great  clearness  and  force,  which  has  not 
been  surpassed  for  strength  of  argument  or  clearness  of  expression. 
Should  an  essay  on  that  subject  be  demanded  by  the  times,  Mr. 
M'Ree  might,  though  dead,  still  speak  to  posterity. 

The  scenes  of  his  early  ministry  were  too  deeply  impressed  upon 
his  mind  to  be  erased  by  an  absence  of  forty  years.  In  a  letter  to 
W.  L.  Davidson,  dated  Swannanoe,  January  26th,  1838,  he  says, — 
"  If  my  desires  were  fully  gratified,  I  should  yet  see,  with  my  feeble 
vision,  the  meeting-houses  of  Steele  Creek  and  Centre,  the  grave- 
yards in  which  my  relations,  friends,  acquaintance,  contemporaries, 


436  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

lie.  And  not  only  these,  but  all  the  surrounding  congregations, 
which  were  generally  vacant  when  I  settled  in  Steele  Creek,  and 
which  I  often  visited  as  supply.  Often  have  I  ridden  in  the  morn- 
ing to  Bethel,  Providence,  Sugar  Creek  and  Hopewell,  and  returned 
home  in  the  evening  of  that  day.  These  scenes,  these  doings,  now 
while  I  am  writing,  are  as  fresh  on  my  mind  as  the  events  of  yes- 
terday." 

After  giving  up  Steele  Creek,  various  vacancies  were  presented  to 
him  for  consideration ;  Pine-street  Church,  Philadelphia,  Princeton, 
New  Jersey,  and  Augusta,  Georgia,  and  his  native  congregation 
Centre.  "  The  shortness  of  life,  the  uncertainty  of  all  things  here, 
extensive  acquaintance,  relations,  numerous  friends,  a  pleasant,  health- 
ful country,  native  soil,  all  combined  and  said,  stay  where  you  are." 
He  was  settled  in  Centre  in  1798,  and  continued  pastor  of  the 
church  about  thirty  years. 

On  account  of  infirmities  of  age  he  gave  up  his  pastoral  charge, 
and  removed  into  the  mountains  and  resided  with  his  children.  In 
the  year  1839,  he  said  his  children,  grandchildren,  and  great-grand- 
children, amounted  to  eighty.  He  said  he  preached  more  than  one 
thousand  times  in  Steele  Creek  church ;  and  at  that  time  not  one  was 
living  that  used  to  meet  him  there  as  members  of  his  church ;  that 
he  laid  in  Steele  Creek  grave-yard  his  father  and  mother,  five  bro- 
thers and  two  sisters ;  that  he  preached  in  Centre  about  two  thou- 
sand times ;  and  that  on  leaving  his  congregations  he  was  unable 
to  preach  a  farewell  on  account  of  his  own  feelings. 

In  writing  to  W.  L.  Davidson,  of  Centre,  from  Swannanoe,  he 
says,  "  We  often  think  of  you.  The  faithful  friend,  who  has  lived 
with  me  almost  sixty-one  years,  often  says  <  Betsey  Lee  Davidson.' 
Mr.  Addison  put  it  into  the  mouth  of  Cardinal  Wolsey  to  say, '  the 
king  shall  have  my  service,  but  my  prayers  for  ever  and  for  ever  shall 
be  yours.'  Here,  among  the  mountains,  I  may  terminate  the  few 
last  days  that  may  remain  of  a  long  life ;  but  my  warmest  affections 
and  best  wishes  will  never  be  withdrawn  from  the  place  of  my  na- 
tivity. The  present  inhabitants,  as  to  me,  are  nearly  all  new  coiners ; 
I  wish  them  well ;  and  sincerely  wish  that  they  may  do  better  in 
their  day  than  their  fathers  have  done,  who  have  gone  before  them, 
and  purchased  for  them,  at  the  high  price  of  their  blood,  a  rich  in- 
heritance. 

"  May  the  decline  of  your  lives,  which  has  already  made  its  ap- 
pearance, be  attended  with  many  and  rich  mercies  !  May  your  last 
days  be  your  best  days ;  and  may  your  final  departure,  like  the  set- 
ting sun,  be  serene  and  full  of  glory  !" 


CENTRE    CONGREGATION.  437 

Of  middling  stature,  handsomely  proportioned,  agreeable  in  man- 
ners, winning  in  conversation,  neat  in  his  dress,  dignified  in  the 
pulpit,  fluent  in  his  delivery,  he  was  a  popular  preacher,  and  re- 
tained his  influence  long  after  he  ceased  to  be  active  in  the  vine- 
yard. Always  a  friend  of  education ;  in  the  latter  part  of  his  life 
he  became  increasingly  anxious  for  the  prosperity  of  academies, 
colleges,  and  theological  seminaries,  to  meet  the  wants  of  the  rising 
generation ;  deeply  convinced  that  the  welfare  of  his  beloved  coun- 
try depends  upon  intelligence,  morality  and  religion.  He  closed 
his  career  March  28th,  1840. 

Bethel  and  Prospect  are  both  within  the  old  bounds  of  Centre. 
Davidson  College,  that  took  its  name  from  General  William  David- 
son, has  its  location  also  in  Centre,  which  still  continues  a  large 
congregation,  and  for  many  years  has  been  but  a  short  time  unsup- 
plied  by  a  regular  minister.  Davidson  College  will  be  noticed  in 
another  place.  Mr.  Espy,  that  ministered  here  for  a  time,  lies  buried 
in  Salisbury,  and  is  noticed  under  the  head  of  Thyatira.  The  grave- 
yard of  Centre  has  monuments  for  the  following  names  of  families 
settled  in  its  bounds  before  the  Revolution : — Davidson,  Rees, 
Hughes,  Ramsey,  Brevard,  Osborne,  Winslow,  Kerr,  Rankin,  Tem- 
pleton,  Dickey,  Braley,  Moore  and  Emerson. 


438  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH    CAROLINA 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


POPLAR  TENT  AND  ITS  PASTORS. 


It  has  ever  been  an  acknowledged  rule  of  propriety,  that  in  po- 
litical discussions  and  excitements  which  relate  to  persons  and 
affairs  rather  than  principles  of  constitutional  right  and  natural 
justice,  the  ministers  of  the  gospel  should  keep  themselves  un- 
committed, and,  in  the  exercise  of  unalienable  rights  as  citizens, 
maintain  the  character  of  ministers  of  the  King  of  kings,  who 
bring  the  offers  of  mercy  alike  to  all.  There  are,  however,  times 
when  the  excitements  in  society  involve  the  greatest  interests  and 
the  most  valuable  and  dear  privileges  ;  when  truth  and  justice, 
liberty  and  morality,  are  struggling  against  power  and  oppression ; 
when  the  spirits  that  are  thirsting  for  a  better  state  of  things,  re- 
quire all  the  support  that  can  be  brought  to  their  aid  from  the  seen 
and  the  unseen  world,  from  the  succors  of  things  temporal,  and 
the  powerful  influence  of  things  eternal.  Then  the  ministers  of 
the  gospel  must  mingle  in  the  strife,  bringing  from  the  treasury 
of  the  Lord  the  all-sustaining  truths  of  revelation ;  drinking  deep 
of  the  fountains  of  life  to  keep  their  own  spirits  pure,  and  putting 
to  the  lips  of  the  brave  and  the  weak-hearted,  in  the  fierce  strug- 
gle, the  pure  water  of  the  living  stream.  No  strength  is  so  abid- 
ing and  resistless,  no  courage  so  daring  and  yet  so  cool,  as  that 
which  rests  for  its  help  on  the  unchanged  truth  and  government  of 
the  eternal  God.  Such  a  time  and  such  a  conjuncture  was  the 
American  Revolution.  And  many  ministers  of  the  gospel  went 
down  into  the  struggle.  Some  sat  in  the  councils  of  deliberation 
and  resolve,  and  others  bore  the  fatigues  of  the  camp,  partaking 
of  the  trials  of  their  fellow-citizens  in  their  bloody  contests.  In 
Carolina,  Hall  and  McCaule  encouraged  their  fellow-citizens, 
their  flocks  particularly,  as  soldiers ;  Balch,  and  Pattillo,  and 
Caldwell,  aided  in  the  councils  and  high  resolves  of  Convention 
and  Provincial  Congress,  and  others  endured  the  miseries  of  an 
invaded  people,  plundered  but  not  subdued. 

In  the  convention  that  met  in  Charlotte,  May  19th,  1775,  there 
was  one  minister  of  the  gospel,  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  of  Poplar 
Tent.     That  he  was  active  in  the  preparatory  steps  for  that  con- 


POPLAR    TENT.  439 

vention  is  evident  from  the  fact  that  he  was  one  of  the  members 
that  prepared  resolutions  to  be  submitted  to  the  convention,  which 
resolutions,  after  consultation,  were  amended  and  adopted  by  the 
committee,  and  by  the  convention,  and  published  to  the  world. 
This  gentleman  was  reported  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegall  as  a 
licentiate  in  the  spring  of  1768.  In  the  year  1769  the  minutes  of 
the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia  have  this  record  :  "  The 
Rev.  Messrs.  John  Harris,  John  Clark,  Jeremiah  Halsey,  James 
Latta,  Jonathan  Elmore,  Thomas  Lewis,  and  Josiah  Lewis  a 
licensed  candidate,  are  appointed  to  supply  the  vacancies  in  Vir- 
ginia, North  Carolina,  and  those  parts  of  South  Carolina  under 
our  care,  to  set  off  as  soon,  and  spend  as  much  time  among  them, 
as  they  conveniently  can  on  this  important  mission." 

"  Mr.  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  a  licensed  candidate,  under  the 
care  of  Donegall  Presbytery,  is  appointed  on  the  same  mission,  and 
the  Presbytery  to  which  he  belongs  are  authorized  to  ordain  him, 
if  upon  trial  he  acquits  himself  according  to  their  satisfaction,  and 
accepts  a  call  from  Carolina." 

"  Ordered,  that  our  stated  clerk  give  these  missionaries  proper 
testimonials." 

What  time  Mr.  Balch  first  visited  Carolina  is  not  precisely  known. 
But  from  the  records  of  Synod  it  appears  that  he  had  been  ordained 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegall  previous  to  the  meeting  of  the  Synod 
in  1770.  At  the  meeting  of  the  Synod  in  that  year  the  Presbytery 
of  Orange  was  set-off,  by  taking  from  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover 
Rev.  Messrs.  Hugh  McAden,  Henry  Pattillo,  James  Criswell,  Jo- 
seph Alexander,  and  Hezekiah  Balch, — and  from  the  Presbytery 
of  Donegall,  Hezekiah  James  Balch.  This  Presbytery  embraced 
the  ministers  in  the  entire  State  of  North  Carolina  ;  and  until  the 
year  1784,  those  ministers  in  connection  with  the  Synod  residing 
in  the  state  of  South  Carolina.  At  that  period  the  State  lines  be- 
came the  boundary. 

Mr.  Balch  served  the  two  congregations,  Rocky  River  and  Pop- 
lar Tent,  during  his  life,  which  was  brought  to  a  close  some  time 
in  the  year  1776.  He  saw  the  commencement  of  that  war  which 
ended  with  all  the  honor  and  independence  to  his  country  he  ever 
desired ;  but  before  the  strife  of  blood  and  plunder  that  followed 
the  Declaration  of  Independence,  July  4th,  1776,  reached  Caro- 
lina, he  slept  with  those  whose  sleep  shall  not  be  awakened  till 
the  resurrection.     His  time  of  service  was  about  six  years. 

Rocky  River  congregation  is  prior  in  point  of  time  to  Sugar 
Creek,  and  the  first  of  all  the  churches  of   Concord  Presbytery. 


440  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Poplar  Tent  was  organized  about  the  year  1764  or  1765,  when 
the  resolution  of  Synod  was  carried  into  effect  by  Messrs.  Spen- 
cer and  McWhorter,  and  the  boundaries  of  the  congregations  as- 
certained and  agreed  upon. 

Poplar  Tent  Meeting-house  may  be  found  about  seven  miles 
from  Concord  town,  in  Cabarrus,  on  the  road  leading  to  Beattie's 
Ford,  and  about  fourteen  miles  eastwardly  of  Davidson's  College. 
From  the  papers  of  a  venerable  old  lady,  who  was  born,  lived  all 
her  days  in  the  bounds  of  the  congregation,  and  died  at  the  age  of 
90,  in  the  year  1843,  the  following  is  an  extract:  "  I  had  a 
brother  born  April  25th,  1764,  and  I  was  ten  years  old  the  March 
before  he  was  born ;  and  I  do  not  remember  of  hearing,  at  that 
time,  of  any  other  place  of  public  worship  but  at  Rocky  River." 
(Rocky  River  Church  is  about  9  or  10  miles  east  from  P.  T.) 
"But  I  had  another  brother,  born  October  25th,  1766,  and  I  re- 
member very  well  of  being  at  a  meeting  at  Poplar  Tent  the  sum- 
mer before  he  was  born ;  and  at  that  time  there  was  a  more  ele- 
gant Tent  than  I  ever  saw  on  that  ground  since,  but  no  meeting- 
house. But  between  '66  and  '70,  there  was  a  good  meeting-house 
built  and  tolerably  well  seated.  And  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  (J). 
Balch  was  a  placed  minister  between  Rocky  River  and  Poplar 
Tent." 

Another  tradition  related  by  Dr.  Robinson,  adds  to  this  account 
without  contradicting  it — and  says  a  Tent  was  erected  and  an  oc- 
casional service  was  obtained  from  the  missionaries  and  other  min- 
isters, for  some  years  before  regular  preaching  was  obtained. 

By  tent,  was  meant  a  place  for  the  preacher  to  occupy  during 

public  worship,  very  similar  to  the  stands  that  are  erected  for  the 

convenience  of  congregations  in  summer,  in  places  where  there 

are  no  church-buildings,  or  where  the  conveniences  for  seating  a 

congregation  in  summer  are  not  sufficient.     All  traditions   agree, 

that  this  tent  was  the  most  showy  in  the  country,  and  soon  became 

a  place  for  a  large  assemblage  on  the  Sabbath.     The  Scotch  and 

Scotch-Irish  emigrants  to  the    Carolinas  used  these  tents  in  all 

seasons  of  the  year,  till  they  could  build  a  house  ;  and  afterwards, 

during  the  warm  season  ;  and  when  the  congregations  were  large, 

irrespective    of  the    season ;   sometimes,    as   Dr.   Hall   tells   us, 

standing  in  the  rain  and  snow,  in  crowds,  to  hear  the   gospel 

preached.     The    first    sermons    by   the    famous    Robinson,    in 

Charlotte  county,  Virginia,   1742,  were  delivered  from  a  stand 

near  the  site  of  Cub  Creek  church,  and  to  a  Scotch-Irish  colony, 


POPLAR    TENT.  441 

Jed  there  by  the  maternal  grandfather  of  John  Caldwell  Calhoun, 
of  South  Carolina. 

The  name  of  the  Ridge,  the  meeting-house,  and  the  congrega- 
tion, originated  in  the  following  manner,  according  to  the  manu- 
script of  Mr.  Alexander  : — "  That  hill,  on  which  the  meeting-house 
now  stands,  was  called  Poplar  Ridge,  long  before  there  was  any 
tent  there,  from  some  very  extraordinary  large  trees,  that  grew  a 
small  distance  west  from  where  the  meeting-house  now  stands. 
But  after  the  tent  was  built  some  time,  there  were  some  men  col- 
lected, for  some  purpose,  at  that  place,  and,  as  I  understood,  there 
was  some  proposition  made,  '  what  are  we  to  call  this  place  V 
One  said,  call  it  Poplar  Springs  ;  another  standing  by,  having  a 
cup  of  water  in  his  hand,  threw  the  water  against  the  tent,  and 
cried  out,  '  Poplar  Tent  !'  And  I  do  not  remember  that  I  heard 
of  any  one  making  objection  at  that  time,  against  the  name  ;  and 
it  has  been  called  Poplar  Tent  ever  since,  and  was  taken  by  that 
name  on  the  missionary  papers  into  the  northern  States.  Now 
Poplar  Tent  went  on  regularly,  friendly,  and  religiously  ;  no  dis- 
pute nor  discontent  between  them  and  their  minister,  he  taught 
them  carefully,  both  in  his  preaching  and  examinations,  and  they 
appeared  to  hearken  with  attention." 

There  is  nowhere  a  monument  or  tradition  to  direct  to  the  grave 
of  Hezekiah  James  Balch  ;  or  anywhere  a  living  mortal  to  claim 
him  as  ancestor.  But  his  deeds  live  after  him,  and  claim  for  him 
a  name  and  place  amongst  those  who  have  well  done  for  their 
country  and  the  church. 

Previous  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Balch  there  were  three  elders  of 
Rocky  River  Church  living  in  the  bounds  of  Poplar  Tent,  who  were 
continued  as  elders  after  the  separate  organization  of  Poplar  Tent, 
of  which  they  formed  part,  viz  :  Aaron  Alexander,  Nathaniel 
Alexander,  and  David  Reese.  The  latter  gentleman  was  a  mem- 
ber of  the  Mecklenburg  Convention. 

To  these  were  added  in  the  year  1771,  by  the  choice  of  the 
church,  James  Barr,  Robert  Harris,  James  Alexander,  George 
Alexander,  and  James  Reese. 

After  the  death  of  Mr.  Balch,  Poplar  Tent  was  for  a  time  va- 
cant, and  received  such  supplies  from  missionaries  as  could  be 
obtained  until  Mr.  Robert  Archibald  became  the  regular  preacher. 
Of  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Archibald  little  is  known.  He  received 
his  Degree  of  Bachelor  of  Arts  at  Princeton,  in  1772  ;  and  after 
studying  medicine  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  in 
the  fall  of  the  year  1775.     In  the  year  1778,  on  the  7th  of  Octo- 


442  SKETCHES   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

ber,  he  was  ordained  and  installed  pastor  of  Rocky  River,  and 
continued  to  hold  this  office  till  he  was  brought  into  difficulties  for 
preaching  erroneous  doctrines,  about  the  year  1792,  for  which,  in 
1794,  he  was  suspended  from  the  work  of  the  ministry  by  the 
consent  and  with  the  advice  of  Synod,  and  in  1797  solemnly  de- 
posed. » 

Mr.  Caruthers  states  that  he  was  ordained  pastor  of  Poplar  Tent 
at  the  same  time  that  the  connection  was  formed  with  Rocky  River. 
Mrs.  Alexander  dates  his  connection  somewhat  later.  All  she  says 
of  him  by  way  of  dates,  is  comprised  in  these  few  words  :  "  Until 
Mr.  Archibald  came  and  took  the  charge  of  Rocky  River  and  Pop- 
lar Tent,  which  was  somewhere  about  '87  or  '88,  and  in  a  few 
years  he  left  Poplar  Tent." 

From  two  certificates  given  Mr.  Humphrey  Hunter  in  the  year 
1785,  and  signed  by  Mr.  Archibald,  it  appears  that  Mr.  Archibald 
was  connected  with  the  church  of  Poplar  Tent  at  that  time  ;  and 
had  been  teaching  school  for  some  time  previous  within  its  bounds. 
It  is  probable  that  Mrs.  Alexander  mistook  the  date,  not  being  anx- 
ious to  recall  the  errors  of  one  whose  sins  had  been  visited  heavily 
upon  him  personally,  and  whose  fall  had  grieved  the  congregation 
that  loved  the  truth  more  than  the  minister. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Archibald,  the  discussion  respecting 
the  Psalmody  of  the  Church  was  carried  on  with  vehemence  in 
Poplar  Tent.  Mr.  Archibald  favored  the  introduction  of  Watts's 
Psalms  and  Hymns  ;  with  him  many  of  the  congregation  concur- 
red ;  but  many  were  violently  opposed,  preferring  the  Psalms  in 
which  their  ancestors  had  worshipped  God,  with  all  their  deficien- 
cies of  rhyme,  to  the  smoother  versification  of  Watts.  The  major- 
ity of  the  congregation,  after  some  acquaintance  with  the  produc- 
tions of  Watts,  preferred  them  for  private  worship  and  favored  their 
use  in  the  public  service  of  the  house  of  God,  and  proposed  that 
they  should  be  introduced  into  the  worship  of  the  congregation 
and  used  part  of  the  day.  This  compromise  was  rejected,  says 
Mrs.  Alexander,  and  "  when  Mr.  Archibald  saw  there  was  no  hope 
of  getting  Watts's  Psalms  introduced  into  public  worship  peace- 
ably, he  went  up  into  the  pulpit  and  told  them  he  was  determined 
to  have  them  made  use  of  for  time  to  come  ;  and  he  did  so.  And 
at  times  when  these  psalms  were  sung,  some  would  go  out  of  hear- 
ing; and  some  others  left  the  Tent  and  went  and  joined  other 
churches  that  despised  Watts's  Psalms.  Another  time,  at  the 
Tent  we  met  for  public  worship,  the  minister  had  just  begun,  and 
when  he  began  to  read  the  psalm  one  man  was  so  presuming  as  to 


POPLAR    TENT.  443 

get  up  and  say  to  him — '  give  us  none  of  your  neiv  lilts — give  us 
the  Psalm  the  Saviour  sung  at  the  Supper.''  The  minister  stopped 
and  commanded  him  to  sit  down  and  not  disturb  the  worship 
of  God,  and  then  went  on.  The  man  turned  about  and  went  out 
of  the  house,  and  never  was  in  that  house  again  at  public  worship." 
This  person  lived  near  the  church  in  a  house  still  standing.  This 
may  be  considered  as  a  specimen  of  the  excited  feeling  that  was 
manifested  in  some  places  about  the  introduction  of  Watts's 
Hymns  to  the  displacing  of  the  Psalms  of  David  in  Metre,  which 
had  been  devoutly  used  by  all  the  Presbyterian  congregations  in 
Carolina. 

Previous  to  this  time  the  different  classes  of  Presbyterians  in 
their  clustering  settlements  had  united  in  congregations,  and  the 
various  names  known  in  the  mother  land  were  losing  their  dis- 
tinctive influence,  and  the  minority  were  inclined  to  fall  in  with 
the  majority,  and  in  their  American  feeling  lose  the  difference  they 
had  once  cherished.  The  discussion  about  psalmody  brought 
about  a  new  state  of  feeling,  which  after  some  heated  discussions 
resulted  in  a  separation,  that  remains  unsettled  to  this  day.  Those. 
that  preferred  Watts's  Psalms  held  their  connection  with  the  Phi- 
ladelphia Synod,  from  which  has  since  been  formed  the  General 
Assembly  ;  and  those  that  preferred  the  Psalms  of  David  in  Metre, 
separated  in  their  church  connection  from  their  brethren,  still  re- 
taining the  same  creed  and  Presbyterial  forms,  constituted  a  Pres- 
bytery, and  are  called  Associates,  and  sometimes  Seceders.  The 
congregations  are  intermingled,  and,  with  characteristic  persever- 
ance, maintain  their  peculiarities  to  this  day.  The  asperity  of  the 
division  having  subsided,  the  congregations  live  in  peace  and  mu- 
tual respect,  and  cherish  in  their  bounds  much  devoted  piety. 

The  Revolutionary  war  was  commenced  in  the  lifetime  of 
Mr.  Balch,  and  had  his  life  been  spared  we  should  in  all  proba- 
bility have  found  him  in  the  camp,  like  Hall  and  McCaule.  Of 
his  successor,  Archibald,  there  are  no  traditions  of  a  military  cast. 
His  congregations,  particularly  that  of  Poplar  Tent,  were  com- 
paratively free  from  the  depredations  and  inroads  of  the  enemy, 
and  not  disturbed  by  the  collisions  of  divided  neighborhoods, 
from  which  some  of  the  greatest  sufferings  of  the  war  had  their 
origin.  Says  Mrs.  Alexander,  "  They  had  peace  in  their  neighbor- 
hood ;  there  was  no  contention  among  them  relative  to  the  war ; 
they  were  all  of  one  mind  as  a  band  of  brothers,  and  were  faithful 
one  to  another,  and  could  sleep  peaceably  in  their  houses,  while 
other  settlements  not  far  off  were  greatly  distressed  by  their  cruel 


444  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

treatment  of  one  another,  killing  some,  banishing  others,  and  even 
shooting  some  little  boys,  while  they  were  pleading  for  mercy, 
because  their  fathers  were  of  a  different  opinion  from  them  in  re- 
spect to  the  war." 

Mr.  Archibald  was  a  man  of  talent,  of  an  amiable  disposition, 
and  considered  a  good  classical  scholar  ;  but  was  careless  in  his 
manners,  and  extremely  negligent  in  his  dress  and  general  appear- 
ance.    Some  domestic  afflictions,  fancied  or  real,  preyed  upon  his 
spirits,  and  were  the  occasion  of  indulgence  to  an  unwarrantable 
degree  in  intoxicating  drinks.     About  the  year  1792  he  openly 
taught  the  doctrine  of  Universal  Salvation  ;  having  first  changed 
from  Calvinism  to  Arminianism,  and  from  thence  wandered  on  to 
the  universal  restoration  of  all  men.     His  connection  with  the  con- 
gregations was  at  once  dissolved,  and  his  authority  to  preach  soon 
taken  from  him  by  the  advice  and  consent  of  Synod  ;  deposition 
followed  ;  and  the  remainder  of  his  life  was  a  tissue  of  unhappy 
events.     He  never  returned  to  the  communion  of  the  church,  or 
retracted  the  errors  for  which  he  suffered  its  discipline.     Mr.  Ca- 
ruthers  tells  us,  on  the  authority  of  Mr.  Mclver,  that  continuing 
to  preach  wherever  he  could  obtain  hearers,  in  one  of  his  rambles 
through  South  Carolina  he  encountered  a  shrewd  old  lady  who  in 
her  younger  days  had  lived  in  the  north  of  Ireland,  and  the  follow- 
ing dialogue  ensued  :   Lady. — "  I'm  tould,  Sir,  you  preach  that  a' 
men  will  be  saved.     Is  that  your  opinion  ?"      Mr.  A. — "  Yes  ;  I 
think  that  after  enduring  some  punishment,  all  will  at  last  be  saved." 
Lady. — "  D'ye  think  that  some  will  gae  to  hell,  and  stay  there  a 
while,  and  then  come  out  again  ?"      Mr.  A. — "  Yes,  that  is  my 
opinion."     Lady. — "  And  do  you  expect  to  go  there  yourseV  ?" 
Mr.  A. — "  Yes  ;  I  expect  to  go  there  for  a  time."      Lady. — "  Ah, 
man  !  ye  talk  strangely  ;  ye're  a  guid  man,  and  a  minister.     I 
wad  think  ye  could  na  gae  there.     But  what  will  ye  gae  there 
for  ?"      Mr.  A. — "  I  expect  to  go  there  for  preaching  against  the 
truth."     Lady. — "  Ah,  man  !  that's  an  unco'  bad  cause.     And  hoo 
long  d'ye  expect  to  stay  there  ?"      Mr.  A. — "  Just  as  long  as  I 
preached  against  the  truth."     Lady. — "  And  hoo  long  was  that  ?" 
Mr.  A. — "  About  fifteen  years."    Lady. — "  Ye'd  be  a  pretty  singed 
deevil  to  come  oot,  after  being  in  sae  lang  /" 

The  successor  of  Mr.  Archibald  was  Alexander  Caldwell,  the 
son  of  the  venerable  David  Caldwell,  who  was  ordained  in  1773. 
The  cause  of  his  leaving  the  ministry  of  these  churches  is  given 
in  the  sketch  of  Rocky  River. 

Mr.  McCorkle,  of  Thyatira,  supplied  Poplar  Tent  for  a  year 


POPLAR    TENT.  445 

after  Mr.  Caldwell's  disease  rendered  him  unable  to  preach, 
appropriating  one  Sabbath  in  four  to  the  instructions  of  the  sanc- 
tuary in  this  congregation. 

After  a  short  period  Poplar  Tent  secured  the  services  of  Mr. 
John  Robinson,  and,  notwithstanding  some  intervals  of  absence, 
enjoyed  his  services  for  thirty-six  years — which  were  ended  by  his 
death,  December  15th,  1843. 

The  parents  of  Mr.  John  Robinson  lived  in  Sugar  Creek  con- 
gregation, and  their  graves  are  found  near  the  centre  of  the  old 
graveyard.  They  were  reputed  eminently  pious  by  their  neigh- 
bors, and  were  devoted  members  of  the  Church.  Their  careful 
training  of  their  son  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord, 
and  their  concern  for  his  salvation,  were  often  spoken  of  by  him 
with  gratitude  and  reverence  ;  and  the  recollection  made  him  more 
earnest  for  the  salvation  of  his  own  household. 

Born  January  8th,  1768,  and  reared  in  the  neighborhood  of 
Charlotte,  Mecklenburg  county,  Mr.  Robinson  was  old  enough  to 
be  a  witness  of  the  scenes  and  a  partaker  in  the  troubles  and 
alarms  of  the  Revolutionary  war.  Too  young  to  engage  in  the 
battles,  his  youthful  memory  received  a  vivid  impression  of  the 
events  of  those  trying  days  :  and  in  his  age  he  recounted  with 
spirit  the  things  he  had  seen  and  heard  when  a  child.  The  cor- 
rectness of  his  memory  and  the  facility  of  his  recollection,  espe- 
cially where  dates  were  concerned,  was  remarkable.  He  trusted 
memory,  and  she  was  faithful  to  him  to  the  last,  bringing  out  her 
stores  at  his  call  with  unabated  celerity  and  precision. 

This,  his  remarkable  quality,  was  of  immense  importance  to 
him  in  his  active,  laborious,  and  varied  avocations  :  but  it  well- 
nigh  prevented  posterity  from  being  the  wiser  for  his  knowledge, 
as  he  committed  little  to  paper  in  any  period  of  his  life,  and  left 
nothing  behind  of  importance  in  the  manuscript  form.  Having 
been  requested,  a  little  before  his  final  departure, — when,  in  fact, 
the  symptoms  began  to  appear, — to  commit  his  experience  and  re- 
collections to  paper,  for  the  use  of  those  that  might  live  after  him, 
he  declined  the  attempt,  on  account  of  his  infirmity,  but  cheerfully 
agreed  to  dictate  to  a  ministerial  friend  on  any  subject  concerning 
which  he  possessed  information.  To  some  extent  this  was  done  ; 
and  his  dates  and  information  were  put  to  the  trial  of  close  examina- 
tion. Not  an  important  fact  was  changed,  upon  an  extended  in- 
quiry ;  and  very  few  minor  statements  required  any  modification 
or  explanation.  Preparations  had  been  made  to  pursue  the  copying 
from  his  lips  on  some  important  subjects,  and  the  time  fixed.    The 


446  SKETCHES    OF     NORTH    CAROLINA. 

amanuensis  arrived  at  the  appointed  time, — but  it  was  to  sit  by 
his  corpse,  and  attend  his  funeral.  It  is  but  proper  to  state,  that 
the  traditions  gathered  from  him  led  to  the  compilation  of  the  facts 
given  to  the  public  in  the  present  volume.  And  in  no  case  have 
his  statements  been  discredited  by  any  official  documents  that  have 
come  to  the  possession  or  inspection  of  the  writer. 

His  academic  education  was  received  partly  in  Charlotte,  under 
the  tuition  of  Dr.  Henderson,  who  taught  in  the  College-buildings, 
and  partly  in  an  academy  taught  by  Mr.  Archibald,  of  Poplar 
Tent. 

In  recounting  the  scenes  of  his  youth,  he  renewed  his  age  ;  and 
with  vivacity  and  delight,  described  the  times  and  circumstances 
when  the  boys  gathered  with  enthusiasm  around  the  soldiers, 
rendezvousing  at  Charlotte,  where  he  saw  that  remarkable  man, 
James  Hall,  march  through  the  town  with  his  three-cornered  hat, 
and  long  sword,  captain  of  a  company,  and  chaplain  to  the  regi- 
ment. 

His  classical  course  was  completed,  and  his  degree  of  A.B. 
conferred  at  Winnsboro',  South  Carolina,  the  seat  of  Mount  Zion 
College,  the  flourishing  institution  that  succeeded  the  College, 
whose  operations  were  suspended  during  the  invasion  of  Charlotte. 
In  the  various  institutions  which  he  attended,  he  must  have  been 
well  taught,  as  throughout  his  life  his  correct  knowledge  of  the 
classics  was  remarked  and  appreciated. 

His  title  of  D.D.  was  conferred  by  the  University  of  his  native 
State,  as  a  just  tribute  of  respect  to  one  who  had  done  much  for 
the  moral  and  religious  education  of  the  rising  generation. 

The  time  of  his  making  a  profession  of  religion  is  not  known ; 
neither  are  the  peculiar  exercises  of  mind,  which  preceded  that 
event.  But  his  good  hope  in  Christ  never  deserted  him  ;  and  his 
determination  to  devote  his  life  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel  was 
unshaken  ;  and  he  was  licensed  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange, 
April  4th,  1793,  to  preach  the  everlasting  gospel. 

Firm  in  his  purpose,  dignified  in  his  deportment,  courteous  in 
his  manners,  commanding  in  his  appearance,  above  the  common 
stature,  and  perfectly  erect,  of  a  spare,  muscular  frame,  of  great 
activity  and  personal  courage,  he  went  to  preach  the  gospel  of  our 
Lord,  at  the  time  when  the  flood  of  infidelity,  that  swept  over  our 
land,  tried  men's  souls.  In  Carolina  and  in  Virginia,  God  in 
mercy  poured  out  his  spirit  on  his  church  in  precious  revivals, 
just  before  that  deluge  of  sin  and  wrath  came,  and  raised  up  a 
goodly  number  of  young  men  of  undaunted  spirit,  who  counted  not 


POPLAR    TENT.  447 

their  life  dear  unto  them  might  they  win  Christ's  approbation,  and 
be  found  to  praise  and  glory  in  the  great  day.  Of  that  noble  com- 
pany, few  now  remain  ;  few  in  Carolina,  and  but  few  in  Virginia, — 
yet  still  some  are  moving  on  the  horizon  of  life,  waiting  in  feeble- 
ness of  body,  and  the  humility  of  faith,  for  their  Lord's  summons. 

The  field  assigned  him  by  his  Presbytery,  for  his  first  essay  in 
the  ministry,  was  the  ground  occupied  first  by  McAden.  Under 
his  ministry,  the  churches,  which  had  been  without  a  settled  pastor 
for  a  long  time,  receiving  only  the  occasional  services  of  missiona- 
ries, were  greatly  revived  and  much  enlarged.  The  children  of 
pious  parents  were  confirmed  in  the  faith  they  had  been  taught, 
and  "the  word  of  God  grew."  The  climate  proving  unfavorable 
to  his  family,  he  determined  upon  removing  higher  up  the  country, 
and  in  the  year  1800,  accepted  an  invitation  from  the  church  in 
Fayetteville,  to  become  their  resident  minister. 

The  smallness  of  the  salary,  and  the  necessities  of  the  youth, 
induced  him  to  open  a  classical  school.  He  continued  with  the 
congregation  a  little  more  than  a  year  ;  when  finding  that  the 
labors  of  the  two  offices  were  more  than  his  constitution  could 
bear,  he  left  the  congregation  in  Dec,  1801,  and  removed  to  Pop- 
lar Tent,  the  scene  of  part  of  the  instructions  of  his  early  life 
under  Mr.  Archibald. 

After  remaining  with  the  congregation  of  Poplar  Tent  about  four 
years,  preaching  and  conducting  a  classical  school,  which  was  com- 
mended by  the  Presbytery  in  1803,  as  appears  by  their  records,  he 
was  induced  by  the  earnest  solicitation  of  the  citizens  of  Fayette- 
ville, to  return  to  that  place,  then  vacant  by  the  removal  of  his  suc- 
cessor, Rev.  Andrew  Flinn,  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina;  and 
about  the  commencement  of  the  year  1806,  he  removed  to  that  place 
and  re-commenced  his  pastoral  labors  and  his  classical  school.  In 
these  two  offices  he  continued  about  three  years ;  and  in  the  latter 
part  of  December,  1818,  returned  to  Poplar  Tent,  and  passed  the 
remainder  of  his  days.  During  the  two  periods  of  his  sojourn  in 
Fayetteville,  he  was  eminently  successful  both  as  a  teacher  and  as  a 
preacher.  The  first  administration  of  the  sacrament  of  the  Lord's 
supper,  in  Fayetteville,  was  performed  by  him  on  the  6th  of  Sep- 
tember, 1801.  At  that  time  there  were  but  seventeen  members  of 
the  church  in  that  place.  He  held  four  communion  seasons  during 
his  first  residence  there,  and  at  each  time  admitted  persons  to  mem- 
bership in  the  church.  During  his  second  residence,  he  was  exten- 
sively useful  and  greatly  beloved.  During  this  period,  his  preach- 
ing is  described  as  "  instructive,  edifying,  and  truly  evangelical ; 


448  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

his  eloquence  was  of  a  gentle  and  persuasive  cast ;  and  in  his  pub- 
lic discourses,  and  in  his  private  intercourse  with  his  people,  he 
was  remarkable  for  the  mildness  of  his  address."  Some  even 
thought  his  mildness  carried  to  excess  in  the  matter  of  discipline  ; 
as  his  benevolent  heart  was  finding  excuses  for  mild  dealing  with 
offenders.  Says  the  author  of  a  sermon  preached  on  occasion  of 
his  death,  "  the  fruits  of  his  labors  are  yet  visible  there,  and  ac- 
knowledged with  gratitude,  by  many  witnesses.  We  have  never 
seen  any  man  move  through  society,  receiving  more  striking  tokens 
of  veneration  and  affection,  than  we  have  witnessed  shown  to  Dr. 
Robinson  in  that  town."  The  news  of  his  death  having  reached 
that  place,  a  public  meeting  was  held  in  the  town-house  on  the  23d 
of  December,  1843,  and  the  following  preamble  and  resolutions 
passed.  "  Whereas,  it  is  announced  in  some  of  the  public  prints, 
that  it  has  pleased  the  Allwise  Disposer  of  all  events,  to  call  away 
from  this  sinful  and  suffering  world,  our  venerable  friend,  the  Rev. 
John  Robinson,  D.D.,  the  present  meeting,  consisting  of  persons  to 
whom  he  has  been  long  endeared  by  ties  of  a  most  interesting  cha- 
racter, desire,  with  the  utmost  sincerity,  to  give  expression  to  the 
sentiments  which  they  entertain  in  the  following  resolutions,  viz.  : 

1st.  Resolved,  That  in  our  estimation,  the  death  of  such  a  man  as 
the  late  Rev.  John  Robinson,  D.D.,  is  an  event  justly  to  be  deplored, 
as  a  serious  loss  to  a  community,  who  have,  for  many  years,  been 
permitted  to  enjoy  the  rich  benefits  of  his  wholesome  instruction,  and 
godly  and  edifying  example. 

2d.  Resolved,  That  his  public  services  in  this  place,  many  years 
ago,  as  a  minister  of  the  gospel,  and  an  instructor  of  the  rising 
generation,  shall  long  be  remembered  with  emotions  of  gratitude 
and  affection. 

3d.  Resolved,  That  David  Anderson,  Dr.  B.  Robinson,  J.  W. 
Wright,  C.  P.  Mallett,  and  E.  L.  Winslow,  be  a  committee  to  devise 
suitable  means  for  the  erection  of  such  memorial  of  his  character 
and  labors  as  may  perpetuate  the  mermry  of  his  worth,  and  of  his 
labors  for  the  good  of  immortal  souls. 

4th.  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  published,  and  a  copy 
of  them  forwarded  to  the  family  of  the  deceased. 

"  David  Anderson,  Chairman, 
"  John  McRae,  Secretary." 

These  resolutions,  called  out  by  his  death  some  thirty-five  years 
after  his  services  in  Fayetteville,  show  conclusively  the  stability  of 
the  population  in  that  congregation,  and  the  deep  impression  his 


POPLAR    TENT.  449 

labors  made  upon  the  public  mind  during  the  years  he  was  pastor 
and  teacher  in  that  community. 

His  labors  in  Poplar  Tent  were  much  blessed.  The  congregation 
enjoyed  repeated  refreshings  from  on  high,  under  his  ministry, 
beside  that  great  and  general  awakening  which  pervaded  the  coun- 
try at  large  from  the  years  1802  onward  for  five  or  six  years,  a 
part  of  which  time  he  resided  at  Fayetteville,  and  part  at  Poplar 
Tent.  A  Revival,  or  refreshing  from  the  Lord,  was  cause  of  joy- 
fulness  to  him,  wherever,  and  whenever  it  came ;  he  would  labor 
with  his  favored  brethren,  and  receive  most  kindly  their  assistance 
when  his  part  of  the  vineyard  was  blessed. 

Desirous  of  excellence  himself,  panting  after  it,  he  scorned  the 
arts  of  detraction,  and  held  sacred  the  reputation  of  good  men,  most 
particularly  his  brethren  in  the  ministry,  rejoicing  in  their  prosperity 
and  good  name,  and  extended  usefulness  and  popularity.  He  never 
seemed  to  feel  that  the  advancement  of  others  was  any  hindrance  to 
his  own  progression  in  excellence  or  usefulness. 

A  clear  and  faithful  exhibition  of  the  doctrines  of  grace  charac- 
terized his  pulpit  ministrations.  Generally  persuasive,  but  when 
aroused  by  the  importance  of  the  subject,  he  became  commanding 
and  overpowering.  His  dignified  person  became  majestic,  and  his 
warm  heart  kindled  to  a  flame,  that  warmed  and  kindled  the  con- 
gregation. The  character,  love,  sufferings  and  death  of  Jesus  Christ 
were  favorite  subjects,  and  lost  none  of  their  exhaustless  interest 
with  him  or  his  congregation. 

As  he  advanced  in  years,  his  manners,  always  courteous,  became 
more  dignified  and  bland ;  a  stranger  would  have  thought  he  had 
adorned  the  drawing-rooms  of  our  cities  in  the  beginning  of  the 
19th  century,  a  gentleman  of  the  old  school  of  Nathaniel  Macon. 
His  kind  manners  expressed  a  kinder  heart,  that  grew  more  tender 
as  he  advanced  in  years.  It  was  impossible  that  a  young  minister 
should  be  introduced  to  him  without  loving  him ;  or  love  him  long 
without  reverencing  him  and  catching  from  him  a  spirit  to  desire 
excellence  for  its  own  sake  and  for  Christ. 

A  guileless  affectionate  simplicity  attracted  all  to  him  in  his  ad- 
vancing infirmities ;  and  his  departure  seemed  less  and  less  welcome 
to  his  people  the  nearer  and  more  certain  its  approach.  His  habits 
of  neatness  in  his  person  and  dress  continued  through  life.  He  had 
so  fixed  the  habit  of  dressing  himself  becomingly  that  very  seldom 
was  he  found  unprepared  to  welcome  a  visitor ;  and  yet  the  greatest 
simplicity  always  appeared  in  his  garments  and  the  manner  in  which 
he  was  attired.     It  is  said  of  him  in  his  more  active  days,  as  a  plea- 

29 


450  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

sant  example  of  his  attention  to  his  family,  that  returning  from  a 
judicatory  of  the  church,  he  lodged  about  seventeen  miles  from  home. 
Rising  at  the  dawn  of  day  to  reach  home  for  his  breakfast,  he  was 
observed  to  be  particular  in  adjusting  his  dress,  and  under  some  dis- 
advantage to  be  shaving  himself  with  care ;  one  of  his  fellow- 
lodgers  observed,  "  you  need  not  delay  to  be  so  particular,  as  you 
are  only  going  home ;"  with  a  polite  bow  the  Dr.  replied,  "  for 
that  very  reason  I  am  particular." 

For  many  years  Dr.  Robinson  carried  on  a  classical  school  in  Poplar 
Tent,  at  which  were  trained  many  of  the  leading  men  of  the  present 
generation  in  and  around  Poplar  Tent.  It  may  be  said  to  have  been 
in  its  glory  after  Dr.  Wilson,  of  Rocky  River,  found  it  necessary  to 
decline  teaching,  and  Dr.  Robinson  found  it  necessary  to  provide 
a  place  of  instruction  for  the  youth  of  the  surrounding  country. 
The  dignity,  precision  and  kindness  with  which  he  presided 
over  his  school  are  referred  to  with  much  affection  by  his  pupils. 
A  teacher  himself,  he  favored  every  attempt  to  promote  sacred  learn- 
ing ;  and  when  about  the  year  1820  an  effort  was  made  to  establish 
a  college  in  Western  Carolina,  he  took  an  active  part  in  the  enter- 
prise, and  mourned  over  its  failure.  When  Davidson  College  was 
instituted  he  took  a  prominent  part ;  and  was  President  of  the  Board 
for  many  years. 

A  pleasant  anecdote  of  the  Dr.'s  personal  courage  is  told  by  Dr. 
Morrison,  of  his  early  life.  While  residing  in  Duplin  he  had  occa- 
sion to  travel  to  Presbytery  alone.  Stopping  in  a  little  village  for 
refreshment,  at  what  appeared  the  most  respectable  tavern,  it  wTas 
promised  him.  While  waiting  for  it  a  company  assembled  around 
the  bar,  and  began  using  profane  language.  Mr.  Robinson  remark- 
ed very  politely  that  such  language  was  very  painful  to  him, 
as  he  thought  it  wrong.  After  a  short  pause  the  drinking  and 
profanity  were  renewed  with  more  indecency  than  before,  the  land- 
lord taking  a  conspicuous  part.  Mr.  Robinson  appealed  to  him,  as 
the  keeper  of  the  house  at  which  he  had  called,  expecting  civil  treat- 
ment, and  to  the  honor  of  his  house  as  the  stranger's  safeguard  from 
insult.  With  increased  profanity,  and  in  a  violent  rage,  the  land- 
lord rushed  towards  him  with  his  clenched  fist,  swearing  that  "  the 
house  was .  his  own,  and  his  tongue  was  his  own,  and  he  wrould  do 
as  he  pleased."  Mr.  Robinson  arose  and  stretched  himself  to  his  full 
height,  and  fastening  a  stern  look  upon  him,  replied,  "  your  house 
may  be  your  own ; — and  your  tongue  is  your  own ; — but  take  care  how 
you  use  your  fist."  The  landlord  cowered  and  asked  pardon  for  his 
insult ;  the  crowd  shrunk  away ;  and  after  obtaining  his  refresh- 


POPLAR    TENT.  451 

ment  the  Dr.  went  on  his  way,  earnestly  entreated  by  the  landlord 
not  to  expose  his  impropriety  to  the  disgrace  and  injury  of  his 
tavern. 

Another,  illustrating  the  Dr.'s  manner  in  his  intercourse  with  his 
fellow  men.  While  residing  in  Duplin,  a  gentleman  who  had  been 
educated  in  Scotland,  but  had  his  residence  in  that  county,  invited 
him  to  go  home  with  him.  The  evening  passed  pleasantly ;  the 
gentleman  was  fluent  in  discussing  the  discipline  of  the  church,  the 
confession  of  doctrines,  the  Solemn  League  and  Covenant.  At  supper, 
the  gentleman  politely  requested  Mr.  Robinson  to  ask  a  blessino- ; 
and  before  retiring  to  rest  assembled  his  family  for  worship.  The 
next  morning  the  family  again  met  for  worship ;  as  they  were 
standing  around  the  breakfast  table  Mr.  Robinson  in  his  graceful 
manner  referred  to  the  gentleman  to  ask  the  blessing.  He  com- 
menced, and  after  pronouncing  a  few  words  became  discomposed, 
and  turning  to  Mr.  Robinson  said,  "  Will  you  please  finish,  sir." 
After  breakfast,  he,  deeply  affected,  addressed  Mr.  Robinson,  "  You 
now  see  what  I  have  come  to.  I  was  born  of  pious  parents ;  taught 
religion  in  my  youth,  and  observed  its  forms  in  my  native  country ; 
but  here,  sir,  I  have  neglected  its  duties ;  and  now  cannot  even  ask 
God  to  bless  the  food  of  my  own  table."  After  suitable  discourse 
Mr.  Robinson  left  him;  the  impression  remained  upon  his  mind, 
giving  him  no  rest  till,  as  he  hoped,  he  was  led  to  Christ  in  true 
conversion.  He  became  a  member  of  the  church,  and  as  far  as 
known,  lived  consistently  with  its  obligations. 

His  infirmities  rendering  it  impossible  for  him  to  perform  the 
duties  of  his  office  in  his  extensive  charge,  his  congregation  reluc- 
tantly received  his  resignation,  in  order  to  look  out  for  a  pastor,  the 
Dr.  declining  any  official  connection  with  the  church,  or  any  man- 
agement of  its  affairs.  He  continued  to  preach  occasionally  for  his 
brethren,  writh  whom  his  visits  were  always  delightful,  till  his 
asthmatic  cough  confined  him  to  his  house. 

He  never  possessed  any  great  fondness  for  the  pen,  and  had  no 
manuscripts  to  review  in  his  old  age.  His  infirmities  prevented 
him  from  reading  to  any  extent ;  and  he  was  deprived  of  his  excel- 
lent wife,  Mary  Baldwin,  the  mother  of  his  children,  in  1836,  hav- 
ing lived  in  affection  with  her  for  more  than  forty  years,  having 
been  united  in  marriage  to  her  April  9th,  1795  ;  and  yet  he  never 
appeared  lonesome  or  repining  while  he  was  waiting  upon  God  for 
his  departure. 

Having  desired,  for  some  years  before  his  death,  to  enjoy  a  meet- 
ing of  the  North  Carolina  Synod  at  Poplar  Tent,  the  brethren  held 


452  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

their  sessions  in  October,  1842,  at  that  church,  and  near  his  dwel- 
ling. Under  the  influence  of  a  more  than  usually  severe  attack  of 
his  cough,  he  was  unable  to  attend  a  single  session  of  the  Synod, 
beino-  confined  to  his  room,  and  mostly  to  his  bed.  The  Synod  sent 
a  committee  with  resolutions  of  condolence  and  respect,  to  express 
their  sympathy  with  their  venerable  brother,  who,  through  a  long 
period  of  years,  was  never  known  to  be  absent  from  a  judicatory  of 
the  church  of  which  he  was  a  member,  in  this  respect  rivalling  the 
venerable  Dr.  Hall  of  Iredell,  who  attended  all  the  sessions  of  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas  but  one.  The  compliment  was  unexpected 
by  the  Dr.,  and  deeply  affected  him.  With  unpretended  humility 
and  kindness  he  wept  when  the  committee  read  to  him  the  resolu- 
tions of  Synod  ;  overcome  with  varied  emotions,  his  readiness  at 
reply  forsook  him.  The  sighs  that  for  a  few  moments  shook  his 
frame,  touched  the  hearts  of  the  committee  as  they  stood  around  his 
bed ;  and  they  wept  wTith  him  ;  and  sighed  as  they  beheld  the 
wreck  of  human  strength  and  excellence.  A  leader  was  departing, 
not  in  a  chariot  of  fire,  but  in  the  exercise  of  an  humble  faith. 

His  life  was  protracted  in  great  feebleness  till  the  fourteenth  of 
December,  1843,  when  he  fell  asleep  in  Christ.  His  body  was  laid 
beside  the  remains  of  his  wife,  in  the  burying  ground  near  Poplar 
Tent  church,  and  amidst  his  hearers,  with  whom  he  will  rise  at  the 
coming  of  Christ. 

In  looking  over  the  inscriptions  upon  the  graves  around  their 
pastor,  you  find  the  names  of  many  of  the  first  settlers,  such  as 
Harris,  Alexander,  Black,  Parks,  Young,  Weddington,  Flinn,  Ross, 
Means,  Crawford,  and  Gilmer.  One  can  but  feel  regret  that  the 
graves  of  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  and  his  spirited  elder, 
David  Reese,  cannot  be  pointed  out ;  men  that  represented  this  con- 
gregation in  the  convention.  Their  names  will  never  pass  from 
the  records  of  history  ;  but  a  visit  to  their  tombs  might  be  useful 
to  coming  generations,  and  the  future  worshippers  in  Poplar  Tent 
might  be  excited  to  deeds  worthy  of  their  ancestors,  by  a  visit  to 
this  yard.  They  ought  to  dwell  upon  the  past  to  be  prepared  to 
act  worthy  of  the  present  and  the  future. 

When  Mr.  Robinson  taught  in  Fayetteville,  he  had  an  assistant, 
William  B.  Maroney.  This  man  had  been  very  thoughtless  and 
wild,  and  opposed  to  religious  things.  His .  own  excesses  were 
made  the  cause  of  his  alarm  and  awakening.  After  indulging  a 
hope  in  Christ,  he  wished  to  preach  the  gospel.  In  his  forty-third 
year,  1803,  his  case  was  laid  before  Synod.     He  ultimately  was  ad- 


POPLAR    TENT.  453 

mitted  to  the  ministry,  and  labored  faithfully  and  successfully  in 
Bethesda.     His  monument  has  this  short  epitaph: — 

Rev.  William  B.  Maroney, 

late  minister  of  the  gospel 

at  this  place, 

was  born  A.D.,  1760, 

Died  August  1st,  18I6. 

He  is  reported  as  ordained  in   1811;  the  time  of  his  licensure  is 
not  known,  the  records  of  Orange  having  been  lost  by  fire. 


454  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 

EXTRACTS  FROM  RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD  OF  THE  CAROLINAS 
FROM  1802  TO  1812. 

SESSION  XV. 

Bethany  Church,  Oct.  9th,  1802. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  Leonard  Prather,  with  a  sermon  from 
Amos  iv.,  12th,  and  Rev.  William  C.  Davis  was  chosen  modera- 
tor. The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported  they  had  received  the 
Rev.  Leonard  Prather  from  the  Methodist  Church,  and  that  they 
had  suspended  the  Rev.  M.  Thompson :  Presbytery  of  Concord, 
that  they  had  dismissed  Rev.  John  Andrews  to  the  Presbytery  of 
West  Lexington.  Mr.  John  Matthews,  missionary  to  the  Natches, 
and  Mr.  Thomas  Hall,  missionary  in  the  Carolinas  and  Georgia, 
read  reports  of  their  missionary  labors,  and  for  their  diligence  re- 
ceived the  thanks  of  Synod.  The  Synod  (after  an  interval  of 
some  years)  appointed  a  Commission  of  Synod  to  attend  to  the 
missionary  business,  and  appointed  Hugh  Shaw,  licentiate  of 
Orange,  a  missionary  to  the  Natches  ;  and  as  Mr.  Matthews  ex- 
pressed a  desire  to  return,  a  commission  was  ordered  for  him.  The 
Presbytery  of  Orange  was  directed  also  to  ordain  him  for  the  mis- 
sion, should  he  go. 

The  case  from  Sinking  Spring,  Greenville  Presbytery,  came  up 
again,  and  after  long  investigation,  was  put  over  till  next  session  ; 
it  was  an  intricate  but  entirely  local  matter.  "  This  Synod  enjoin 
it  on  each  Presbytery  of  which  it  is  composed,  to  establish  within 
its  respective  bounds,  one  or  more  grammar  schools,  except  where 
such  schools  are  already  established ;  and  that  each  member  of 
the  several  Presbyteries  make  it  their  business  to  select  and  en- 
courage youths  of  promising  piety  and  talents,  and  such  as  may 
be  expected  to  turn  their  attention  to  the  ministry  of  the  gospel." 

"  Overtured  :  Whether  it  be  proper  for  this  Synod  to  confer  on 
any  one  who  may  be  well  recommended,  a  written  and  formal 
permission  to  act  in  the  character  of  an  exhorter  ?  Synod  judged 
it  would  be  improper,  as  our  book  of  discipline  does  not  authorize 
Synod  to  grant  such  permission." 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  455 

The  Presbytery  of  Abingdon  petitioned  Synod  to  give  their  con- 
sent to  an  application  to  the  next  General  Assembly,  to  annex  said 
Presbytery  to  the  Synod  of  Virginia.  "  Resolved,  that  the  prayer 
of  said  overture  be  granted  ;"  in  consideration  of  the  difficulties 
in  attending  Synod.  "  As  Dr.  McCorkle,  from  a  growing  indis- 
position of  body,  is  incapable  of  transcribing  our  records  with 
conveniency,  ordered  that  the  Rev.  John  Brown  be  appointed,  and 
he  hereby  is  appointed,  the  stated  clerk  of  this  Synod." 

SESSION    XVI. 

Buffalo  Church,  Oct.  6th,  1803. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  James  Hall  with  a  sermon  from 
John  vi.,  27,  and  Mr.  John  Robinson  was  chosen  moderator. 
The  Presbytery  of  Orange  have  added  by  ordination  Daniel 
Brown,  Andrew  Flinn,  Malcolm  McNair,  Ezekiel  B.  Currie,  and 
John  Matthews  ;  and  the  Presbytery  of  Hopewell,  Edward  Pharr. 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported  that  they  had  commissioned 
eight  missionaries  within  the  bounds  of  Synod,  one  of  whom, 
Wm.  C.  Davis,  was  to  visit  the  Catawba  Indians.  Reports  were 
heard  from  part  of  these  missionaries.  "  Ordered  that  the  Rev. 
Wm.  C.  Davis  act  as  a  stated  missionary  to  the  Catawba  Indians 
until  our  next  stated  session  of  Synod ;  that  he  superintend  the 
school  in  that  nation,  now  taught  by  Mr.  Foster,  and  that  he  obtain 
the  assistance  of  Rev.  James  Wallis  as  far  as  may  be  convenient. 
Ordered,  that  the  several  Presbyteries  under  our  care  be  directed 
to  pay  particular  attention  to  the  subscription  business  for  the  sap- 
port  of  the  missionaries,  especially  as  we  now  have  promising 
prospect  of  teaching  the  Catawba  Indians  to  read  and  pay  some 
attention  to  the  gospel. 

"  A  petition  from  the  Presbytery  of  Hopewell  was  handed  in 
and  read,  praying  the  direction  of  Synod  in  the  case  of  John 
Forbes,  who  made  application  to  that  Presbytery  to  be  received  as 
a  candidate  for  the  gospel  ministry.  The  Synod  advise  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Hopewell  to  direct  their  conduct  towards  Mr.  Forbes 
agreeably  to  the  directions  of  the  book  of  discipline  ;  and  recom- 
mend to  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  to  act  in  the  same  manner  to- 
wards Mr.  Bloodworth  and  Mr.  Maroney,  in  behalf  of  whom  they 
made  similar  applications." 


456  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 


SESSION    XVII. 


Bullock's  Creek  church,  Oct.  4th,  1804. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  Samuel  Caldwell  by  a 'sermon  from 
Proverbs  xiv.,  12,  and  Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter  was  chosen 
moderator. 

The  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  report  Duncan  Brown 
and  John  Couser,  added  by  ordination ;  the  Second  Presbytery, 
James  Gilleland,  jr. ;  the  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  re- 
ported the  death  of  David  E.  Dunlap  ;  and  the  Second  Presbytery 
of  South  Carolina,  the  dismission  of  Francis  Cummins  to  Hope- 
well Presbytery. 

By  request  of  members  the  Presbytery  of  Greenville  was  dis- 
solved ;  and  the  Rev.  George  Newton  and  Samuel  Davies  were 
directed  to  apply  to  the  Presbytery  of  Concord  for  admission ; 
Hezekiah  Balch  and  John  Cossan,  to  the  Presbytery  of  Union ; 
and  Stephen  Bovelle  to  the  Presbytery  of  West  Lexington,  in  Ken- 
tucky, or  any  other  Presbytery  in  whose  bounds  his  lot  might  fall. 

A  commission  of  Synod  was  appointed  for  this  year,  to 
attend  to  whatever  missionary  business  is  left  unfinished  by- 
Synod.  Rev.  Daniel  Brown  and  Malcolm  McNair  were  appointed 
missionaries  to  the  Natches  for  six  months  or  more  ;  and  Mr.  Mur- 
phy, licentiate,  was  appointed  for  the  lower  part  of  South  Carolina. 

"  Overtured — Is  it  consistent  with  the  government  of  the  Pres- 
byterian church  to  admit  other  denominations,  as  churches,  to  com- 
mune with  us,  and  to  receive  their  preachers  without  distinction  as 
ministers  of  the  Gospel  ?"  "  Answered  in  the  negative  ;  except 
through  the  General  Assembly." 

"  Overtured — -Is  a  minister's  regular  acceptance  of  a  call  from  a 
congregation  absolutely  necessary  to  constitute  him  the  regular  pas- 
tor of  that  congregation  ?"     "  Answered  in  the  affirmative." 

"  Overtured — How  is  a  fellow  Presbyter  who  preaches  these 
disorganizing  doctrines,  viz.  :  that  forms  of  religion  ought  for  the 
most  part  to  be  dispensed  with  ;  that  tokens  are  unnecessary ;  and 
that  it  makes  no  difference  whether  a  man  is  regularly  licensed  by 
any  judicatory,  and  invites  such  to  preach  in  his  pulpit — to  be  dealt 
with  by  his  brethren  in  the  ministry  ?"  "  Answer — Synod  direct 
our  members  to  our  form  of  government  and  discipline  of  our 
church.  The  Synod  also  express  their  disapprobation  of  those 
things  alluded  to  in  the  overture  ;  and  declare  their  strict  adherence 
to  the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Discipline  of  our  Church  ;  and 
earnestly  recommend  to  all  their  members,  the  propriety,  and  abso- 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  457 

lute  necessity,  of  supporting,  so  far  as  their  influence  may  extend, 
the  Confession  of  Faith  and  Discipline  of  our  Church." 


SESSION    XVIII. 


Betliesda  church,  Oct.  3d,  1805. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  John  M.  Wilson  with  a  sermon 
from  Deut.  xxxii.,  29,  and  Rev.  James  Wallis  was  chosen  modera- 
tor. The  first  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  reported  Murdock 
Murphy  as  ordained  ;  the  second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina 
reported  Benjamin  R.  Montgomery,  and  that  they  had  dismissed 
Robert  Wilson,  William  Williamson,  and  James  Gilleland,  sen., 
to  settle  in  the  State  of  Ohio  ;  the  Presbytery  of  Concord  re- 
ported the  death  of  Lewis  F.  Wilson. 

The  commission  appointed  last  year  laid  before  Synod  the  mi- 
nuted and  the  reports  of  missionaries.  From  this  it  appeared  that 
the  school  among  the  Catawbas  had  been  continued  at  considera- 
ble expense  ;  at  first  the  Indians  were  much  interested  in  the 
instructions  and  exhortations  of  the  teacher,  but  after  a  while  grew 
weary  ;  that  there  had  been  but  little  preaching  among  them. 
The  prospect  not  flattering.  Mr.  Smylie  made  a  favorable  report 
of  his  mission  to  the  Mississippi  territory,  and  presented  a  letter 
from  a  congregation  addressed  to  Synod,  asking  for  further 
aid. 

A  commission  of  Synod  was  appointed  to  attend  to  the  mission- 
ary concerns  of  the  Synod,  to  hold  their  first  meeting  in  New 
Providence,  the  first  Tuesday  of  November  next. 

Rev.  Samuel  C.  Caldwell  was  directed  to  write  to  the  Presby- 
teries of  Orange  and  Union  on  the  subject  of  their  not  being  re- 
presented in  Synod  for  some  time ;  the  Presbytery  of  Orange 
since  1802,  and  the  Presbytery  of  Union  since  1799. 

Synod  being  informed  that  certain  persons  within  their  bounds 
had  petitioned  the  Assembly  to  receive  them  into  connection  by 
the  name  of  the  Presbytery  of  Charleston,  without  being  in  con- 
nection with  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  proceeded  to  draw  up  a 
remonstrance  to  the  Assembly  against  their  being  received  in  such 
circumstances,  as  unconstitutional,  and  reflecting  on  the  Synod. 

SESSION     XIX. 

Olney,  October  2,  1806. 
Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  Humphrey  Hunter,  with  a  sermon 


458  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

from  2  Tim.  iii.,  16  ;  and  Rev.  James  Stephenson  cliosen  mode- 
rator. The  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  reported  George 
Reid  ;   Orange,  James  Smylie,  as  a  missionary  to  the  Natchcs. 

The  Overture  handed  in  last  session  respecting  a  stated  clerk, 
was  taken  up,  and  after  consideration,  "  the  Synod  determined  to 
adopt  the  measure  proposed  ;  on  which  the  Rev.  John  B.  Davies 
was  chosen  to  act  as  stated  clerk  for  Synod.  He  was  directed  to 
transcribe  the  minutes  of  our  preceding  session  in  a  proper  book, 
for  which  service  the  Synod  determined  to  allow  him  the  sum  of 
three  dollars  for  each  annual  session,  and  the  sum  of  ten  dollars 
yearly  from  the  present  term  for  performing  the  services  specified 
in  the  above  mentioned  overture."  (In  consequence  of  this  order 
Mr.  Davies  transcribed  the  minutes  of  the  preceding  sessions  in  a 
large  folio,  and  continued  to  be  the  clerk  of  Synod  while  it  existed. 
The  records,  in  his  handwriting  from  1788  to  1813,  the  time  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas  existed,  cover  422  folio  pages,  were  cor- 
rectly kept,  and  written  in  an  uncommonly  plain  hand.) 

Overtured, — That  Synod  petition  the  Assembly  for  a  division 
to  form  two  Synods,  one  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  North  Ca- 
rolina and  the  other  South  Carolina. 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported  that  they  had  done  nothing  ; 
a  part  of  them  had  received  a  report  of  a  missionary  that  should 
have  been  presented  to  the  preceding  Synod. 

The  Synod  appointed  three  missionaries,  Dr.  James  Hall,  Wm. 
H.  Barr,  a  licentiate  of  Orange,  and  Mr.  Thomas  J.  Hall,  to  itine- 
rate within  their  bounds. 

A  letter  was  addressed  to  the  Presbyteries  urging  a  fuller  attend- 
ance on  Synod,  accompanied  by  a  resolution  to  call  absentees  to  a 
strict  account ;  and  that  a  letter  of  citation  be  addressed  to  them. 
Instances  were  given  of  great  punctuality,  such  as  being  present 
at  twenty  meetings  of  Synod  out  of  twenty-one  (Dr.  James  Hall 
is  the  person  referred  to,  who  commenced  attending  the  Synod  of 
New  York  and  Philadelphia) . 

"  Overtured, — That  this  Synod  give  their  opinion  respecting  the 
propriety  of  ministers  of  the  gospel  accepting  and  holding  civil 
offices,  which  divert  their  attention  from  their  ministerial  duty,  and 
bring  reproach  on  the  sacred  ministry  ;  and  as  this  Synod  do  highly 
disapprove  of  such  conduct,  Resolved,  That  those  Presbyteries 
where  such  instances  are  to  be  found,  adopt  the  most  effectual 
measures  to  induce  such  ministers  to  lay  aside  such  offices,  and 
devote  themselves  wholly  to  their  ministerial  duties.  And  if  the 
Presbyteries  should  meet  with  any  difficulties  in  dealing  with  such 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  459 

members,  they  are  required  to  apply  to  the  General  Assembly  for 
instructions  in  such  case." 

"Resolved,  That  Synod  publish  1000  copies  of  the  following 
pamphlets,  viz.  :  the  Rev.  John  Andrews's  pamphlet,  entitled  A 
Brief  Essay  on  Natural  and  Moral  Inability,  and  two  pamphlets 
written  by  the  Rev.  John  P.  Campbell  in  reply  to  Mr.  Stone." 

SESSION    xx. 

Rocky  River,  Oct.  1st,  1807. 
Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  James  W.  Stephenson  with  a  ser- 
mon from  Micah  ii.,  3,  last  clause  ;  and  Moses  Waddel  was  chosen 
moderator.  Added  to  Presbytery  of  Concord,  Thomas  J.  Hall 
and  Andrew  S.  Morrison ;  second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina, 
Daniel  Gray ;  Presbytery  of  Union,  Isaac  Anderson,  Charles 
Coffin,  Matthew  Donnell,  and  Joseph  D.  Lapsley. 

A  memorial  from  the  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  was 
read,  complaining  that  the  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina 
does  -not  discipline  a  member  of  theirs,  Wm.  C.  Davis,  for 
preaching  erroneous  doctrine,  though  known  by  Presbytery  to 
hold  and  preach  such  doctrine.  "  To  give  a  complete  list  of  the 
doctrines  we  have  in  view,  even  as  far  as  they  are  known  to  us, 
we  think  would  be  quite  unnecessary  in  this  communication.  It 
may,  however,  be  proper  to  mention,  thftt  Mr.  Davis  affirms  and 
industriously  propagates,  that  what  has  been  termed  the  passive 
obedience  of  Christ  is  all  that  the  law  of  God  can,  or  does  require, 
in  order  to  the  justification  of  the  believer ;  and  that  his  active 
obedience  is  not  imputed.  He  also  affirms  and  teaches  that  faith 
precedes  regeneration,  and  is  not  a  holy  exercise,  nor  has  any- 
thing holy  in  its  nature.  *  *  *  *  Now,  although  neither  we  nor 
the  Presbytery  to  which  he  belongs  can  prevent  Mr.  Davis  from 
believing  whatever  he  may  think  proper,  yet  we  deem  it  somewhat 
more  than  indecorous  that  any  member  in  our  communion  should 
be  allowed  intentionally  to  teach  doctrines  manifestly  contrary  to 
that  system  we  are  supposed  to  believe  and  preach." 

Synod  after  consideration  directed  the  First  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina  to  attend  to  this  matter  "  as  duty  and  discipline  may 
direct." 

The  Presbytery  of  Union  applied  for  leave  to  apply  to  the  Gene- 
ral Assembly  to  be  connected  with  the  Synod  of  Virginia  :  Synod, 
satisfied  that  the  Presbytery  were  unanimous  in  the  application, 
granted  the  request. 


460  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Dr.  Hall  made  report  of  his  missionary  services  ;  also  Mr.  Thos. 
Hall,  and  Mr.  William  H.  Ban*.  Their  reports  were  entered  on 
record,  exhibiting  great  industry  and  much  labor.  A  committee 
of  missions  was  appointed  for  the  ensuing  year,  of  whom  Dr.  Hall 
was  to  be  moderator,  to  hold  their  first  meeting  at  Steele  Creek 
church  on  the  third  Wednesday  of  November. 

"  Ordered,  that  the  Synod  send  up  to  the  General  Assembly  the 
following  question  : — Whether  elders  from  vacant  congregations 
have  the  same  constitutional  right  to  a  seat  in  Synod  which  they 
have  in  Presbytery  ?" 

The  missionaries  this  year  refer  to  a  state  of  things  in  their 
route,  which  had  called  the  attention  of  the  missionaries  in  former 
years,  and  is  perhaps  best  expressed  in  the  report  of  Dr.  Hall  for 
this  year  : — "  Approaching  the  low  country  (in  South  Carolina), 
the  professors  of  religion  became  less,  and  the  bigoted  attachment 
to  party  doctrines  appeared  to  be  stronger.  These  doctrines,  which 
they  call  their  principles,  are  so  frequently  brought  into  the  pulpit, 
that  sometimes  a  private  member  of  one  of  those  denominations, 
when  he  goes  to  hear  a  preacher  of  the  other,  expecting  what  will 
come  forward,  has  his  scriptural  notes  prepared,  and  reads  them 
against  the  doctrines  delivered  :  on  which  issue  is  joined,  and  the 
doctrines  are  debated  in  the  presence  of  the  congregation.  From 
these,  and  other  circumstances,  it  appears  that  few  attend  on  the 
preaching  of  the  gospel-  except  the  bigoted  adherents  to  their 
respective  parties." 

SESSION    XXI. 

Sugaw  Creek  church,  Oct.  6th,  1808. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  Benjamin  R.  Montgomery,  with  a 
sermon  on  Heb.  ii.,  3,  first  clause  ;  and  the  Rev.  John  M.  Wil- 
son was  chosen  moderator.  Presbytery  of  Orange  report  W.  L. 
Turner  from  Virginia,  and  James  K.  Burch ;  and  that  they  had 
suspended  Leonard  Prather  from  the  office  of  minister  of  the 
gospel.  The  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  reported, 
"  lost  by  death,  Rev.  John  Simpson,  and  Dr.  Thomas  Williamson, 
a  licentiate." 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported,  that  they  had  met  and  ap- 
pointed Dr.  Hall,  Rev.  E.  B.  Currie,  and  Mr.  Wm.  H.  Barr, 
missionaries  in  their  bounds  during  part  of  the  past  year.  The 
missionaries  were  called  on  ;  Mr.  Currie  had  not  received  a  com- 
mission.    The  others  read  long  and  interesting  reports,  of  one  of 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  461 

which  the  Synod  made  the  following  minute,  viz. — "  The  Rev. 
Dr.  Hall  read  a  report,  in  which  he  gave  a  particular  account  of 
the  state  of  that  part  of  the  country  where  he  travelled,  and  stated 
that  he  thought  it  would  be  more  advisable  to  cherish  our  own 
vacancies,  than  to  attempt  to  establish  new  societies  in  these  bounds  ; 
and  particularly  recommended  vigorous  exertions  on  the  part  of 
Synod,  to  encourage  the  education  of  young  men  for  the  gospel 
ministry.  He  further  stated,  that  he  travelled,  during  his 
mission,  1132  miles,  and  preached  forty  times,  and  received 
$64,68."  Mr.  Barr  united  with  Dr.  Hall,  respecting  the  change 
of  missionary  action  from  the  itinerant,  to  the  supplying  our 
vacancies  with  more  regular  preaching.  The  Synod  passed  a 
vote  of  thanks  to  both  these  laborious  men.  In  urging  the  cause 
of  education,  Dr.  Hall  says — "  Otherwise,  our  churches,  if  any 
should  remain,  must,  be  supplied  with  ignorant  and  illiterate 
preachers,  or  they  must  receive  foreigners,  which  past  experience 
has  for  the  most  part  shown  not  to  be  very  eligible  ;  as  we  may 
expect  little  besides  the  dregs  of  European  churches.  Should 
none  of  these  be  the  case,  our  people  must  sink  into  ignorance  and 
barbarism,  and  stand  exposed  to  every  erroneous  wind  of  doctrine." 
Mr.  Barr  appears  to  have  been  a  most  devoted  missionary. 

A  commission  of  Synod  was  appointed,  "  to  regulate  the  whole 
of  the  missionary  business,  to  meet  the  first  Wednesday  of 
November,  at  Unity  Church,  Indian  Lands,  of  which  Dr.  Hall  was 
appointed  moderator." 

The  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  being  called  on  to  report 
their  doings  respecting  Rev.  W.  C.  Davis,  on  the  complaint  handed 
in  to  last  Synod,  reported  that  after  hearing  Mr.  Davis's  explana- 
tions they  had  not  done  anything  ;  and  put  the  following  question, 
viz.  :  "  Whether  the  holding  and  propagating  any,  and  what 
doctrines,  apparently  repugnant  to  the  letter  of  the  confession  of 
faith,  will  justify  a  Presbytery  in  calling  a  member  to  public 
trial?"  The  Synod,  not  satisfied  with  this  report,  appointed  a 
committee  consisting  of  Rev.  James  Hall  and  General  Andrew 
Pickens,  of  Second  Presbytery,  South  Carolina,  to  propose  a 
minute  to  direct  the  Presbytery  in  its  future  proceedings.  This 
committee  brought  in  a  minute  which  was  amended  and  adopted, 
of  which  the  following  is  all  that  is  important,  viz. :  "  Resolved, 
that  the  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  be  directed  to  meet 
immediately  on  this  ground,  and  if  they  have  any  charges  to  state 
against  Mr.  Davis,  that  they  be  immediately  exhibited  according 
to  the  discipline  of  our  church,  before   the   First  Presbytery  of 


462  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

South  Carolina,  together  with  the  names  of  the  witnesses,  should 
they  deem  it  necessary  to  call  witnesses  in  the  case.  And  that 
the  foregoing  purposes  may  be  answered,  the  First  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina  is  directed  to  constitute  immediately  to  receive 
such  charge  as  the  Second  Presbytery  may  think  dutiful  to  lay 
before  them  :  and  to  furnish  Mr.  Davis  with  a  copy  of  the  charge, 
together  with  the  names  of  the  witnesses.  That  the  Synod  direct 
the  moderator  of  the  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  to  call  an 
occasional  meeting  on  the  third  Wednesday  of  November  next,  to 
confer  with  Mr.  Davis  on  the  doctrines  specified  in  the  memorial 
of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina,  and  such  other  doc- 
trines as  may  be  thought  by  them  advisable.  And  that  they  take 
a  record  of  all  the  questions  put  to  Mr.  Davis,  particularly  relative 
to  these  matters,  together  with  his  answers,  that  all  concerned  may 
have  the  fullest,  information  and  satisfaction  that  the  nature  of  the 
case  allows." 

Overture. — "  Should  the  qualifications  of  parents  offering  their 
children  for  baptism  be  the  same  as  would  entitle  them  to  the 
Lord's  Supper?     Answered  in  the  affirmative." 

"  The  committee  appointed  to  draught  a  minute  on  the  subject  of 
intercourse  and  communion  with  the  Methodist  church,  introduced 
one  which  was  amended  and  adopted,  and  is  as  follows,  viz. : 
'  Whereas,  the  Methodist  church  embraces  doctrines  that  we  are 
far  from  considering  orthodox,  aiid  as  they  are  in  the  habit  of 
insinuating  that  Presbyterian  ministers  are  mercenary  in  their 
calling, — of  speaking  disrespectfully  of  our  church,  and  endeavor- 
ing to  withdraw  members  from  our  communion ;  therefore,  to 
avoid  all  feuds,  animosities  and  contentions  with  that  people,  the 
Synod  recommend  that  all  unnecessary  intercourse  with  them  be 
avoided, — that  our  brethren  in  the  ministry  be  careful  to  teach  all 
the  doctrines  of  our  holy  religion  as  contained  in  our  Confession 
of  Faith  and  Catechism  ;  and  at  particular  times,  when  prudence 
and  duty  may  direct,  to  explain  and  establish  those  doctrines, 
which  we  believe  the  church  alluded  to  has  misunderstood,  if  not 
perverted." 

"  The  Synod  do  highly  disapprove  of  holding  communion  with 
the  Methodist  church,  as  a  church  ;  but  in  certain  cases  occasional 
communion  may  be  permitted.  And  we  recommend  that  in  those 
cases  in  which  communion  may  be  requested,  that  our  ministers 
deal  with  such  applicants,  as  with  those  who  may  make  application 
for  the  first  time,  within  our  .church.  We  also  recommend  that 
members  of  our  own  church,  who,  without  the  approbation  of  the 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  463 

session,  invite  Methodist  preachers  to  preach  in  our  congregations, 
and  who  assiduously  endeavor  to  gain  proselytes  to  the  Methodist 
church,  be  dealt  with  by  their  respective  sessions  as  disorderly." 

"And  we  finally  recommend  that  the  several  Presbyteries  under 
our  care  be  particularly  careful  to  furnish  their  vacancies  with  the 
means  of  information  upon  the  peculiar  doctrines  of  our  holy  reli- 
gion, by  disseminating  amongst  them  catechisms,  and  other  ortho- 
dox books,  and  by  frequently  granting  them  such  supplies  as  may 
be  in  their  power." 

"  The  following  dissent  was  tabled,  viz. :  We,  whose  names 
are  underwritten,  beg  leave  to  dissent  from  the  decision  of  Synod 
on  the  above  case,  for  the  following  reason ;  that  the  Methodist 
Church  is  alone  implicated,  when  it  is  known  that  the  ministers  of 
other  denominations  have  made  impositions  on  congregations  be- 
longing to  our  church ;  and  request  that  this  our  dissent  be  entered 
on  the  minutes  of  Synod." 

James  Hall, 

J.  D.  KlLPATRlCK. 
SESSION    XXII. 

Poplar  Tent,  Oct.  5th,  1809. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  John  M.  Wilson,  with  a  sermon 
from  Acts  xx.,  24  ;  and.  the  Rev.  Robert  B.  Walker  was  chosen 
moderator.  The  Presbytery  of  Orange  reported  John  Mclntyre, 
and  that  the  suspension  had  been  removed  from  Leonard  Prather ; 
the  first  Presbytery,  South  Carolina,  reported  the  death  of  Joseph 
Alexander,  D.D. 

At  the  close  of  the  last  session,  provision  was  made  for  the 
calling  an  extraordinary  meeting ;  the  moderator  of  the  last  ses- 
sion informed  Synod  that  he  had  directed  the  moderators  of  the 
several  Presbyteries  to  issue  citations  to  their  respective  members, 
to  attend  at  Steele  Creek  on -the  first  Tuesday  of  March,  1809  ; 
but  high  waters  prevented  a  meeting. 

The  commission  of  Synod  reported  that  they  had  commissioned 
Dr.  Hall  and  Rev.  Andrew  Flinn,  to  act  as  missionaries  in  the 
vacancies  in  the  bounds  of  Synod  ;  Mr.  Flinn  did  not  act,  but  Dr. 
Hall  had  performed  service.  His  report  was  read  to  Synod.  He 
was  absent  four  months  and  thirteen  days,  preached  sixty-nine 
times,  held  three  communions  and  several  evening  societies,  and 
travelled  1545  miles.  The  following  are  extracts  from  his  report : 
"  Previously  Jo  his  departure  from  home,  he  had  extracted,  four 


464  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

hundred  and  twenty  questions  from  our  Confession  of  Faith,  which 
embraced  the  most  important  doctrines  contained  in  that  system, 
and  disseminated  them  through  eight  of  our  vacancies,  for  the  pe- 
rusal of  the  people  until  he  should  return  to  finish  his  mission,  at 
which  time  they  were  to  be  called  upon  for  public  examination." 
The  success  attending  this  effort,  he  reports  as  having  been  very 
encouraging.  The  following  extract  refers  to  the  exercises  which 
had  prevailed  extensively  beyond  the  Catawba  among  the  congre- 
gations he  visited,  viz. : 

"For  the  satisfaction  of  Synod  and  others  to  whom  this  report 
may  come,  your  missionary  begs  indulgence  in  being  somewhat, 
particular  in  the  case  of  Knobb  Creek  congregation.  He  visited 
them  with  much  pleasure,  and  spent  some  considerable  time 
among  them,  both  in  November  and  April.  Some  of  the  most 
intelligent  and  apparently  pious  of  them,  told  him  that  since  they 
have  come  to  look  back  and  reason  on  their  past  extravagant 
views,  feelings,  and  exercises,  they  are  filled  with  horror  as  to 
themselves,  and  gratitude  to  God,  that  they  were  not  given  over 
to  the  most  wild  and  delusive  fanaticism ;  that  when  they  hear 
or  read  of  the  horrid  and  extravagant  conduct  of  the  Shakers  in 
the  Western  States,  they  are  filled  with  horror  at  their  former 
situation,  as  it  now  appears  to  them  that  if  those  people  had  then 
come  among  them,  they  seemed  prepared  to  run  with  them  into 
all  their  extravagance  and  enthusiasm.  The  following  account 
your  missionary  had  from  one  of  their  members,  who  formerly 
did,  and  still  does  sustain  an  eminently  pious  character.  '  When 
I  fell  into  those  extraordinary  exercises  I  found  such  pleasure 
in  them  that  I  would  not  think  of  parting  with  them  ;  yet  when 
they  were  off,  I  found  the  power  of  religion  so  declining  in  my 
heart,  that  I  was  conscious  that  in  that  state  I  never  need  expect 
to  enter  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  and  they  have  cost  me  many 
sleepless  hours  in  prayer  and  wrestling  with  my  own  wretched 
heart,  before  I  could  give  them  up.'  Let  none,  however,  from 
this  statement,  take  occasion  to  think  unfavorably  or  even  lightly, 
of  those  deep  and  heart-affecting  exercises,  both  distressful  and 
joyous,  to  which  no  doubt  we  have  all  been  witnesses,  and  many 
of  which,  if  we  judge  by  their  fruits,  we  have  reason  to  believe, 
were  produced  by  the  powerful  operations  of  the  Holy  Spirit,  by 
which,  from  an  overwhelming  sense  of  divine  things,  those  effects 
were  produced  on  the  body ;  as  the  exercises  of  the  above  society 
respected  not  only  their  spiritual  but  also  their  temporal  affairs, 


RECORDS    OF    THE    SYNOD.  4:65 

managing  their    farms,  assisting  each  other  in  daily  labor,  and 
especially  the  marriage  of  young  people  one  with  another. 

"  An  elder  of  that  congregation  whom  your  missionary  and 
other  members  of  Synod  had  for  many  years  known  to  be  a  man 
of  established  religious  character,  had  removed  to  Tennessee, 
being  then  under  suspension  with  many  others,  by  Presbytery, 
for  adhering  to  those  extravagances,  and  who  returned  on  busi- 
ness when  your  missionary  was  in  that  neighborhood.  He  told 
him  that  he  had  steadfastly  adhered  to  his  former  system ;  was 
filled  with  the  deepest  prejudices  against  Presbytery;  was  highly 
disgusted  with  his  fellow  members  when  he  heard  that  they  had 
submitted  to  the  requisitions  of  Presbytery,  as  it  appeared  to  him 
like  giving  up  the  cause  of  God,  until  the  then  last  preceding 
August ;  without  any  human  means,  or  anything  but  what  he 
must  ascribe  to  the  sovereign  mercy  and  grace  of  God,  his  eyes 
were  opened  to  see  the  absurdity  of  his  conduct,  especially  that 
of  spurning  at  the  government  of  the  church,  and  of  private  mem- 
bers attempting  to  administer  the  sealing  ordinances  of  the 
gospel. 

"  And  your  missionary  was  a  witness  to  his  ample  and  solemn 
acknowledgment  of  his  error,  and  to  an  admonition  which  he  re- 
ceived before  the  session  of  Knobb  Creek,  in  conformity  to  the 
judgment  of  Presbytery  ;  which  admonition  he  received  not  only 
with  suitable  humility,  but  expressions  of  gratitude  and  thankful- 
ness in  being  fully  restored  to  the  communion  of  the  church.  The 
above  example  appeared  to  be  the  prevailing  disposition  of  the  so- 
ciety, except  a  few  individuals,  who  seemed  to  retain  a  smack  of 
their  former  principles  -,  but  without  the  least  appearance  in  their 
conduct.  Those  were  so  inconsiderable,  that  they  had  no  influence 
in  the  society." 

In  conclusion,  he  pressed  the  subject  of  an  educated  ministry, 
pleading  the  necessities  of  the  church  as  reasons  for  great  activity 
in  raising  up  a  proper  ministry. 

In  order  the  better  to  understand  this  report,  it  may  be  observed 
that,  in  the  year  1804,  the  Presbytery  of  Orange  appointed  Rev. 
Messrs.  S.  C.  Caldwell,  John  M.  Wilson,  Humphrey  Hunter,  and 
elders,  Messrs.  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  Thomas  Harris,  Jacob 
Alexander,  Isaac  Alexander,  Hugh  Parks,  and  Robert  Stephen- 
son, a  committee  to  visit  Long  Creek,  and  take  up  the  irregulari- 
ties of  Long  Creek  and  Knobb  Creek,  on  the  subject  of  religion. 
They  performed  the  duty  assigned ;  and  upon  inquiry  found 
that  some  of  the  laymen  laid  claim  to  special  divine  guidance,  and 

30 


4(36  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

had  administered  the  ordinances  of  the  Supper  and  of  Baptism, 
being  moved,  as  they  said,  by  a  divine  impulse.  For  these  and 
other  irregularities  many  were  suspended  from  the  privileges  of 
the  church. 

The  case  of  Rev.  Wm.  C.  Davis  before  the  First  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina  came  up.  Upon  inspecting  the  records  of  the 
Presbytery  it  appeared  that  the  Second  Presbytery  had  tabled 
charges  against  Mr.  Davis,  but  did  not  appear  to  prosecute  at  the 
time  fixed  to  meet  Mr.  Davis.  That  the  First  Presbytery  heard 
Mr.  Davis,  and  pronounced  sentence.  The  charges  were, — "  1st, 
He  affirms  and  industriously  propagates  that  what  has  been  termed 
the  passive  obedience  of  Christ  is  all  that  the  law  of  God  can,  or 
does  require  in  order  to  justification  of  the  believer,  and  that  his 
active  obedience  is  not  imputed." 

"  2d.  He  also  affirms  and  teaches  that  saving  faith  precedes 
regeneration,  and  has  nothing  holy  in  its  nature,  as  to  its  first  act. 

"  3d.  That  the  Divine  Being  is  bound  by  his  own  law,  or,  in 
other  words,  by  the  moral  law. 

"  4th.  That  Adam  was  never  bound  to  keep  the  moral  law,  as 
the  Federal  Head  or  Representative  of  his  posterity ;  or,  in  other 
words,  that  the  moral  law  made  no  part  of  the  conditions  of  the 
covenant  of  works." 

Mr.  Davis  admitted  the  charges,  and  explained  them  :  That 
Christ's  active  righteousness  gave  efficiency  to  the  atonement,  but 
was  not  imputed : — that  the  first  act  of  faith  was  before  regeneration, 
and  of  consequence  not  holy,  though  acts  of  faith  afterwards  might 
be  holy  : — that  the  moral  law  was  the  standard  of  perfection  and 
holiness,  and  so  applied  to  God  without  derogation  : — that,  though 
the  moral  law  had  an  immediate  consequential  connection  with  the 
condition  of  the  covenant,  either  as  to  the  keeping  or  breaking  said 
covenant,  yet  it  is  not  the  guilt  of  transgressing  the  moral  law  that 
is  imputed  to  Adam's  posterity,  but  only  the  guilt  of  eating  the 
forbidden  fruit." 

The  Presbytery  condemned  the  tenets  as  contrary  to  the  Con- 
fession, and  unsound  ;  but,  on  the  score  of  liberty  of  opinion  and 
latitude  of  expression,  did  not  condemn  Mr.  Davis  for  holding  them 
as  worthy  of  any  church  censure,  though  they  considered  him  guilty 
and  in  some  degree  censurable,  for  his  imprudence  in  expressing 
himself. 

The  Synod  was  dissatisfied  with  this  course,  as  by  no  means 
coming  up  to  their  directions  of  last  year,  or  the  exigencies  of  the 
case ;  took  up  the  matter,  and  were  proceeding  to  investigation 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  467 

and  trial  for  decision,  having  by  vote  determined  they  had  a  right 
so  to  do,  when  Mr.  Davis  protested,  and  appealed  to  the  Assembly. 
The  Synod  finally  remitted  the  case  to  the  Assembly ;  and  also  an 
overture  respecting  the  book  Mr.  Davis  had  published,  denomi- 
nated the  Gospel  Plan,  in  which  his  sentiments  were  expressed  at 
large. 

On  request,  the  Synod  constituted  a  Presbytery  out  of  the 
territory  of  three  others,  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Harmony,  to 
consist  of  the  following  members  : — Rev.  George  McWhorter, 
Andrew  Flinn,  and  John  Couser,  of  the  First  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina  ;  John  R.  Thompson,  of  Hopewell  Presbytery  ;  to  meet 
for  the  first  time  in  the  city  of  Charleston,  on  the  first  Wednesday 
of  March,  1810,  and  that  Rev.  Andrew  Flinn,  or  the  senior  mem- 
ber present,  preside  and  open  the  Presbytery. 

Synod  appointed  a  committee,  consisting  of  Rev.  James  Mc- 
Ree,  Samuel  C.  Caldwell,  John  Robinson,  and  John  M.  Wilson, 
to  meet  at  Poplar  Tent,  the  second  Wednesday  in  November,  to 
prepare  a  pastoral  letter  for  the  churches,  warning  them  against 
the  errors  propagated  by  Mr.  Davis  ;  and  that  they  commit  the 
letter,  when  prepared,  to  Dr.  Waddel,  to  superintend  the  printing 
and  circulation,  in  proper  proportion,  among  the  Presbyteries. 


SESSION    XXIII. 

Fair  Forest,  Oct.  Wh,  1810. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  Robert  B.  Walker,  with  a  sermon 
from  2d  Corinth,  iv.,  7 ;  and  Rev.  Samuel  Stanford  was  chosen 
moderator.  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  reported  Wm. 
H.  Barr  ;  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  that  they  had  dismissed  John 
Gillespie  to  the  Presbytery  of  Transylvania,  and  James  K.  Burch 
to  Presbytery  of  Philadelphia  ;  and  had  received  Wm.  McPhee- 
ters  from  Presbytery  of  Lexington,  Va.,  and  had  licensed  Benjamin 
H.  Rice. 

The  resolutions  and  decision  of  the  General  Assembly,  in  the 
case  of  Wm.  C.  Davis,  referred  to  them  at  the  last  Session  of 
Synod,  were  read.  After  various  propositions,  and  much  consulta- 
tion, it  was  resolved  that  the  First  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  be 
dissolved,  and  the  members  be  annexed  as  follows  : — "  Rev.  W.  C 
Davis,  pastor  of  Bullock's  Creek  ;  Robert  B.  Walker  of  Bethesda  • 
John   B.   Davies   of  Fishing   Creek   and    Richardson ;  Thomas 


468  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Neeley  of  Purity  and  Edmonds  ;  with  George  Reid  without  a 
charge;  and  the*vacancies  of  Waxhaw,  Unity,  Bethel,  Hopewell, 
Beershcba,  Yorkville,  Shiloh,  and  Salem,  be,  and  hereby  are, 
joined  to  the  Presbytery  of  Concord  ;  and  that  Rev.  Robert  Mc- 
Cullock  and  John  Foster,  without  charges  ;  Samuel  H.  Yongue 
of  Lebanon  and  Mount  Olivet,  with  the  vacancies  of  Concord, 
Horeb,  Sion,  Aimwell,  Catholic,  Beaver  Creek,  and  Hanging 
Creek,  be,  and  hereby  are,  joined  to  the  Presbytery  of  Harmony." 
The  name  of  the  Second  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina  was 
changed  to  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina. 

"  Overtured,  Are  lotteries  even  for  religious  purposes,  such  as 
building  churches,  &c,  consistent  with  the  morality  of  the  gos- 
pel ?"  referred  to  the  Assembly. 

Dr.  Hall  read  his  report  of  missionary  service  at  great  length. 
His  first  tour  commenced  October  25,  1809,  and  ended  December 
14th.  After  his  return  from  the  General  Assembly,  to  which  he 
was  a  delegate,  he  commenced  his  tour  again  on  the  16th  of  June, 
1810.  Of  this  tour,  the  following  extracts  are  the  most  important, 
and  of  abiding  interest.  (He  came  in  contact  with  two  charac- 
ters who  must  be  noticed.)  His  tour  was  among  the  Scotch  be- 
tween the  Cape  Fear  and  Pedee  Rivers. 

Extracts  from  the  Report. 

"  Mr.  Lindsay,  whose  name  has  been  mentioned  above,  and  Mr, 
McDiarmid,  still  continue  to  preach  and  administer  sealing  ordi- 
nances, although  they  have  been  both  deposed,  many  years  since, 
from  the  ministry  of  the  gospel,  by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange. 
They  command  influence  over  thousands  of  their  countrymen 
from  Scotland ;  although  common  fame  says  they  persevere  in 
habits  of  intemperance  in  the  use  of  ardent  spirits.  Mr.  Lind- 
say's adherents  acknowledge  as  to  him,  and  Mr.  McDiarmid's  say 
he  only  takes  a  refreshment.  This  is  said  to  be  the  frequent 
practice  of  both ;  that  they  and  their  parishioners,  after  worship, 
even  on  Sabbath  evenings,  repair  to  a  house  where  spirits  are  sold, 
and  spend  the  evening  in  drinking,  and  sometimes  deal  out  such 
hard  blows  to  each  other,  that  not  long  since  some  of  them  were 
adjudged  by  court  to  pay  $40  each,  on  one  of  these  occasions. 

"  Your  missionary  visited  both  the  above  preachers  at  their  own 
houses,  and  conversed  largely  with  them  in  presence  of  some  of 
their  people.  Mr.  L.  complained  much  to  him  of  the  conduct 
of  the  Presbytery  in  his  case.  He  was  asked  why  he  did  not 
appeal  to  Synod,     He  said  there  he  was  in  an  error.     He  was  in- 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  469 

formed  lhat,  although  the  time  limited  for  appealing  was  long 
since  elapsed,  yet,  perhaps,  he  might  still  have  a  hearing.  To 
this  he  replied,  that  he  understood  we  were  all  of  one  sort.  And 
being  asked  what  sort  was  that,  he  replied,  it  was  friends  to  the 
new  religion ;  and  that  for  not  falling  in  with  that,  he  had  been 
deposed  from  the  ministry.  In  short,  he  seemed  to  have  no  relish 
for  conversation  on  any  of  those  subjects,  and  endeavored,  by  every 
possible  means,  to  turn  the  current  of  conversation  into  some  dif- 
ferent channel. 

"  Mr.  McD.  was  much  more  pliant,  and  professed  a  strong  de- 
sire to  be  united  to  the  Presbytery.  This  also  appeared  to  be  the 
desire  of  many  of  his  people.  Your  missionary  had  three  differ- 
ent conversations  with  him,  the  last  of  whjch  was  at  his  own 
house,  in  presence  of  two  elders,  and  a  respectable  Scotch  mer- 
chant from  Fayetteville.  He  seemed  all  submission,  and  requested 
your  missionary,  as  did  also  the  above  gentleman,  to  write  to  Pres- 
bytery on  the  subject,  which  he  did,  and  delivered  the  letter  to  Mr. 
McD.  The  company  were  then  called  to  dinner  ;  but  before  we 
arose,  Mr.  McD.  exhibited  evident  marks  of  intoxication.  To  pro- 
ceed on  fair  ground,  your  missionary  inquired  privately  at  all  the 
above  gentlemen,  who  were  all  of  the  same  opinion.  The  letter 
lay  in  an  accessible  place,  from  which  your  missionary  took  it  up 
and  asked  Mr.  McD.'s  pardon  for  recalling  it.  He  was  asked  the 
reason  by  Mr.  McD.,  and  he  was  pointedly  told  it  was  because  he 
had  meddled  too  freely  with  ardent  spirits.  He  fell  into  a  violent 
passion  and  ran  out  of  the  house.  The  gentleman  from  Fayette- 
ville followed  and  pacified  him  eo  as  to  return.  Your  missionary 
and  the  elders  then  bade  him  good  bye,  and  withdrew  without 
further  ceremony." 

(The  next  day,  Sabbath,  he  read  the  letter  to  the  people  ; 
explained  the  circumstances  and  exhorted  them  to  examine  their 
case  ;  and  appealed  to  the  elders  who  were  now  there  for  the 
truth  of  his  statements.  On  leaving  the  place  some  said,  "  we 
have  heard  the  truth  to-day  ;"  others  said — "  few  would  have  dared 
to  say  that.") 

"  Mr.  M'Int.yre,  whose  people  live  in  a  blended  state  with  those 
of  ,Mr.  L.,  is  gaining  considerable  ground  on  the  latter.  This 
need  not  be  thought  strange,  considering  the  striking  contrast  be- 
tween the  characters  of  the  men.  Many  families  have  lately  come 
over  to  Mr.  M'Intyre ;  and  frequently  young  people  of  families 
who  adhere  to  Mr.  L.  are  taken  with  convictions  under  Mr.  M'l.'s 
preaching.     In  this  case  some  are  afraid  to  go  home,  for  fear  of 


470  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  lash  ;  and  your  missionary  has  seen  young  people  in  a  state  of 
banishment  from  their  father's  house  on  account  of  their  attach- 
ment to  religion.  In  short,  the  state  of  both  the  aged  and  young 
who  are  under  the  influence  of  those  two  men  baffles  description  ; 
nor  would  such  particular  history  of  their  and  their  people's  case 
have  been  given,  were  it  not  to  attract  the  attention  of  Synod  to 
that  unhappy  and  deluded  people.  And  their  unhappiness  does 
not  arise  only  from  the  examples  set  before  them  ;  but  their  teach- 
ers are  said  to  be  industrious  in  propagating  falsehoods  among 
them,  to  prejudice  them  against  our  Clergy ; — asserting  that  we 
have  cast  off  the  Westminster  Confession  of  Faith,  and  have  made 
one  of  our  own  ;  that  we  are  all  become  Methodists,  and  have  de- 
parted from  the  principles  of  Presbyterianism,  and' that  there  is  not 
now  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  the  United  States  except  them- 
selves, &c.  &c.  In  a  particular  manner  they  attempt  to  prepos- 
sess the  minds  of  their  adherents  against  the  young  Scotch  minis- 
ters in  those  parts,  representing  them  as  ignorant,  illiterate  block- 
heads, &c,  although  the  fruits  of  their  labors  manifest  that  they 
are  able  and  successful  ministers  of  the  New  Testament.  And  it 
appears  to  have  been  a  wise  and  happy  dispensation  of  Providence 
for  that  part  of  the  State,  that  such  a  set  of  young  men  were  raised 
up  and  qualified  to  preach  the  gospel  immediately  before  the  com- 
mencement of  the  revival ;  especially  as  they  were  able  to  preach 
in  both  the  English  and  Gaelic  languages.  Wherever  they  have 
been  placed  the  revival  has  predominated  under  their  ministry. 
And  notwithstanding  the  many  thousands  of  miles  your  missionary 
has  travelled  during  the  last  ten  years,  he  has  not  been  in  any  place 
where  religion  has  flourished  more,  nor  the  power  of  it  kept  up 
with  more  energy  than  under  their  ministrations." 

"  There  have  been  what  may  be  called  miracles  of  grace  among 
Mr.  L.'s  adherents.  An  elder  of  Mr.  L.'s,  about  50  years  old,  had 
been  an  early  subject  of  the  revival,  and  became  a  zealous  profes- 
sor of  religion  ;  but  on  that  account  was  so  persecuted  by  his 
neighbors,  his  wife,  and  especially  Mr.  L.,  his  situation  became 
so  insupportable  to  him  that  he  went  about  forty  miles  from  where 
he  lived  and  bought  a  plantation,  on  which  he  improved  and  raised 
two  crops  before  his  family,  which  he  occasionally  visited,  w»uld 
remove  with  him." 

"His  wife  was  strongly  attached  to  Mr.  L.,  and  consequently 
bitterly  prejudiced  against  the  young  Scotch  clergy,  and  all  others 
who  were  friendly  to  the  revival,  until  last  summer,  it  pleased  God, 
when  your  missionary  was  in  these  parts,  to  show  her  in  what  a  lost 


RECORDS    OF    THE    SiTNOD.  471 

state  she  was  on  account  of  sin.     This  was  unknown  to  him  until 
his  last  winter's  tour  to  that  place,  at  which  time  he  visited  her  at 
her  own  house.     She  appeared  then  to  be  under  deep  and  rational 
conviction  of  sin  ;  and  although  she  was  an  intelligent  woman, 
and  well  instructed   in  the  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion,  yet 
it  appeared  to  him  he  never  conversed  with  a  person  more  anxious 
to  obtain  religious  instruction  than  she  was  at  that  time.     Not  long 
afterwards  she  professed  to  obtain  the  comforts  of  religion  ;  and 
your  missionary  can  better  conceive  than  express  his  sensations  of 
mind  in  meeting  with  her  and  her  husband  in  his  visit  to  that  place 
last  July.     She  nearly  in  an  ecstasy,  and  he  bursting  into  tears  of 
gratitude  and  joy  on  account  of  what  God  had  done  for  his  aged 
companion.     During  public  worship,  where  your  missionary  fre- 
quently saw  her,  she  was  almost  constantly  under  bodily  agitation  ; 
lifting  up  her  hands,  and  it  is  believed  her  heart,  in  devotional  ex- 
ercises.    As  that  gave  umbrage  to  some  aged  professors,  and  es- 
pecially to  Mr.  L.'s  people,  your  missionary  spoke  privately  to  her 
on  the  subject,  and  she  declared  to  him  that  she  could  not  prevent 
it,  and  at  that  instant  became  agitated  through  her  whole  frame,  as 
soon  as  the  subject  was  mentioned  to  her.      And  to  whomsoever 
these  lines  may  come,  the  writer  begs  leave  to  be  indulged  in 
making  these  remarks, — that  however  some  may  be  thus  affected 
by  bodily  agitations,  by  an  undue  indulgence,  and  perhaps  some 
may  be  so  presumptuous  as  to  feign  them,  yet  from  the  above,  and 
many  other  similar  examples,  he  is  well  assured  that  in  many  cases 
the  subjects  of  them  may  as  easily  suppress  their  vital  breath  and 
support  natural  life,  as  under  certain  states  of  mind  to  suppress 
such  bodily  emotions  ;  although  at  the  same  time,  if  it  were  the 
divine  will  that  the  same  state  of  mind  could  be  exercised,  and 
their  outward  appearances  prevented,  it  would  be  more  agreeable 
to  him,  especially  during  public  worship." 

"  Resolved,  That  Dr.  Hall  be  requested  to  publish  in  the  '  Star'' 
his  missionary  report,  or  such  parts  of  it  as  he  may  deem  suitable 
for  publication." 

The  Presbytery  of  Orange  overtured  Synod  for  an  order  to  or- 
dain Mr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  of  the  University  ;  and  the  Synod,  in 
consideration  of  the  prospect  of  increased  usefulness,  authorized 
the  ordination. 

SESSION   XXIV. 

Fourth  Creek  church,  Oct.  8th,  1811. 
Synod  was  opened  by  Samuel   Stanford  with    a   sermon    from 


472  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

2  Chron.  xviii.,  18;  and  Rev.  James  M'Elhenny  was  chosen  modera- 
tor. The  Presbytery  of  Orange  report,  Wm.  B.  Merony  and  Joseph 
Caldwell.  "  The  Presbytery  of  Concord  laid  before  the  Synod 
their  proceedings  in  the  case  of  the  Rev.  William  C.  Davis,  and  re- 
quested their  advice  whether  or  not  the  way  of  Presbytery  be  fully 
open  to  proceed  to  deposition  in  said  case.  Whereupon,  after  fully 
attending  to  the  proceedings  of  the  Presbytery  of  Concord,  Synod 
did,  and  hereby  do,  express  the  opinion  that  the  wTay  is  entirely  open 
to  proceed  to  the  last  step  of  discipline  in  the  case  of  the  said  Wm, 
C.  Davis." 

The  Committee  of  Missions  reported  that  they  had  employed  Dr.. 
Hall  for  four  months,  two  east  of  Yadkin,  in  North  Carolina,  and 
two  west  of  Ocony  River,  Georgia.  Mr.  Hall  read  his  report,  which 
was  highly  acceptable. 

"  Presbytery  of  Orange  report  that  on  the  3d  day  of  April,  1811. 
they  suspended  Rev.  WTm.  C.  Davis  from  the  exercises  of  his  func- 
tions as  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  and  on  the  4th  clay  of  October 
deposed  him  from  the  office  of  the  ministry  of  the  everlasting  gospel ; 
also  that  they  have  dismissed  the  Rev.  Samuel  Morrison  to  join  the 
Presbytery  of  West  Tennessee ;  and  that  they  have  on  the  21st  day 
of  January,  1811,  lost,  by  death,  the  Rev.  Dr.  Samuel  E.  M'Corkle. 
late  pastor  of  the  church  of  Thyatira." 

"  Overtured,  that  this  Synod  do  resign  the  missionary  business  to 
which  they  have  hitherto  attended  into  the  hands  of  the  General 
Assembly,  to  be  conducted  by  them  for  time  to  come ;  and  that  it 
will  be  the  duty  of  our  Presbyteries,  from  time  to  time,  to  inform 
the  assembly  where  missionary  labors  appear  to  be  wanted,  and 
what  missionaries  they  may  have  in  their  power  to  furnish.  But  in 
the  meantime  that  Synod  conduct  this  business  as  they  have  hitherto 
done  till  our  next  session.  Ordered,  that  this  overture  be  sent  up  to 
the  General  Assembly." 

The  Commission  of  Missions  was  appointed  as  usual. 

Upon  examining  the  records  of  the  Presbytery  of  Harmony  it  ap- 
peared that  Rev.  Ezra  Fisk  had  been  ordained  sine  titulo  ;  to  this 
the  Synod  objected ;  "  and  do  therefore  recommend  that  the  several 
Presbyteries  under  our  care  be  cautious  not  to  violate  the  discipline 
of  our  church  in  this  respect."  Resolved  also,  "  that  inasmuch  as 
the  said  Presbytery  have  declared,  that  it  is  altogether  inexpedient 
to  consult  the  Synod  in  this  case,  as  has  been  usual  in  similar  cases, 
and  that  the  right  of  ordination,  in  all  cases,  is  originally  inherent 
in  Presbytery,  and  has  never  been  formally  surrendered  to  the  higher 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  473 

judications  of  the  church. — Synod  cannot  but  disclaim,  such  a  prin- 
ciple, as  having  never  been  granted  by  our  discipline." 

"  The  Synod  enjoined  on  the  several  members  of  this  Synod  to 
use  every  prudent  and  dutiful  measure  in  their  power  to  procure  and 
disseminate  Confessions  of  Faith  and  Catechisms  amongst  the  cono-re- 
gations  under  our  care,  and  to  report  their  attention  and  success  at 
our  next  meeting." 

An  overture  was  sent  to  the  Assembly  calling  attention  to  the 
fact,  whether  the  book  of  discipline  was  sufficiently  explicit  about 
restoring  penitent  offenders,  and  also  respecting  the  baptism  of 
Adults. 


SESSION    XXV. 


New  Providence,  Oct.  5th,  1812. 

Synod  was  opened  by  Rev.  George  Reid  with  a  sermon  from  John 
v.,  34 ;  and  Rev.  James  Hall,  D.D.,  was  chosen  moderator. 

The  Presbytery  of  Harmony  reported  that  they  had  re- 
ceived Robert  M'Culloch,  Samuel  Yongue,  John  Foster,  and 
Murdock  Murphy,  had  ordained  and  installed  Colin  M'lver,  and  or- 
dained Aaron  W.  Leland  sine  titulo.  The  names  of  Henry  Kolluck, 
D.D.,  and  John  Boggs,  also  appear  for  the  first  time  among  the 
members  of  Harmony  Presbytery. 

The  Commission  of  Synod  reported  that  Dr.  Hall  had  been  com- 
missioned for  three  months  to  Georgia ;  and  they  could  have  em- 
ployed three  more  missionaries  had  the  funds  been  sufficient.  Dr. 
Hall  read  his  report,  which  was  highly  acceptable;  during  four 
months  and  sixteen  days  he  had  travelled  1485  miles,  and  preached 
58  sermons. 

On  inquiry,  it  appeared  that  very  general  attention  had  been  paid 
to  the  order  of  Synod  last  year  respecting  the  circulation  of  the 
Confession  of  Faith  and  Catechisms.     The  order  was  renewed. 

It  appearing  that  the  General  Assembly  had  accepted  the  manage- 
ment of  the  missionary  business  in  the  bounds  of  Synod :  ordered, 
"  that  it  be  enjoined  on  the  members  under  the  care  of  Synod  to  use 
every  means  in  their  power  to  aid  the  General  Assembly  in  support- 
ing the  missionary  and  contingent  funds. 

Resolved,  that  the  following  members  of  the  Presbytery  of 
Orange  be  set  off  to  form  a  Presbytery  to  be  known  as  the  Presbytery 
of  Fayetteville,  viz. :  Rev.  Samuel  Stanford,  Robert  Tate,  William 


474  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

L.  Turner,  Malcolm  McNair,  Murdock  McMillan,  John  Mclntyre, 
William  B.  Merony,  Allan  McDougald,  and  William  Peacock ;  to 
meet  in  Fayetteville  on  the  first  Tuesday  of  April  next ;  and  Rev. 
Samuel  Stanford,  or  in  his  absence  the  senior  minister,  to  preach 
and  preside  till  a  moderator  be  chosen. 

The  Presbytery  of  Harmony  having  proceeded  to  ordain  another 
person  sine  titulo,  notwithstanding  the  order  of  last  Synod,  the  mat- 
ter was  taken  up,  and  a  member,  Mr.  Couser,  announcing  that  he 
had  received  a  letter  from  the  moderator  of  the  last  assembly,  stating 
that  the  assembly  were  dissatisfied  wTith  the  proceedings  of  this  Sy- 
nod, and  forbore  to  announce  their  dissatisfaction,  only  in  the  hope 
that  Synod  and  Presbytery  would  compromise  the  matter  ;  the  Rev. 
James  Wallis,  John  M.  Wilson,  and  Joseph  Caldwell,  were  ap- 
pointed a  committee  to  bring  in  ateport. 

The  committee  reported  at  great  length  ;  the  substance  of  which 
is  as  follows,  viz.  :  That  ordination  sine  titulo  was  contrary  to  the 
usages  of  the  church  of  Scotland,  "  without  permission  expressly 
granted  by  a  superior  judicatory  ;"  that  some  twenty  years  ago  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange  refused  so  to  ordain  till  they  obtained  leave  of 
Synod  ;  and  in  1810  (when  Mr.  Wilson  was  member  of  assembly) 
the  committee  of  overtures  of  the  assembly,  before  whom  Mr.  Wil- 
son appeared,  expressed  themselves  in  favor  of  the  rule — **  that  or- 
dination sine  titulo  ought  not  to  take  place  without  application  to 
Synod,  or  to  the  General  Assembly ,  and  express  authority  obtained 
from  them  ;"  that  when  the  subject  had  been  sent  down  to  the  Pres- 
byteries, after  a  long  deliberation  (several  years),  only  eighteen 
Presbyters  reported,  of  whom  seven  were  for  investing  the  assembly 
with  original  power,  and  eleven  against  it :  and,  that  this  Synod 
consulting — "  the  history  of  the  church,  the  book  of  discipline  and 
satisfactory  impressions  of  our  own  minds,"  came  to  the  conclusion 
"  that  Presbyteries  were  not  entitled  to  the  power  which  the  Pres- 
bytery of  Harmony  had  exercised." 

The  committee  referred  to  the  minutes  of  the  assembly  for  1795, 
for  the  following  record,  viz.  :  "  the  following  request  was  overtured, 
that  the  Synods  of  Virginia  and  the  Carolinas  have  liberty  to  direct 
their  Presbyteries  to  ordain  such  candidates  as  they  may  judge  ne- 
cessary to  appoint,  on  missions  to  preach  the  gospel ;  whereupon, 
resolved,  that  the  above  request  be  granted,  the  Synods  being  care- 
ful to  restrict  the  permission  to  the  ordination  of  such  candidates 
only  as  are  engaged  to  be  sent  on  missions." 

Without  discussing  the  expediency  or  disadvantage  of  ordaining 
sine  titulo,  the  committee  said  that  on  consulting  the  oldest  and 


RECORDS  OF  THE  SYNOD.  475 

'  most  experienced  of  Synod,  they  find  that  it  has  been  the  unvarying 
impression  that  the  practice  the  Synod  have  been  endeavoring  to 
maintain,  is  the  constitution  which  has  been  received  by  the  church. 
The  committee  referred  to  the  book  of  discipline  for  support  of  their 
construction,  and  concluded  by  recommending  that  the  minute  of 
last.  Synod  be  not  repealed.  In  this  the  Synod  "  cordially  "  con- 
curred. 

Overtured,  that  request  be  made  to  the  next  assembly  for  divi- 
sion of  this  Synod  ;  the  reasons  offered  were  the  number  of  members, 
and  the  distance  they  were  compelled  to  travel  to  Synod.  "  That 
the  Presbyteries  of  Orange,  Concord,  and  Fayetteville,  be  constituted 
a  Synod  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  Synod  of  North  Carolina  ; 
to  meet  at  Alamance  Church  on  the  first  Thursday  of  October  next 
(1813)  ;  that  the  Rev.  Dr.  James  Hall,  the  present  moderator,  or, 
in  case  of  his  absence,  the  senior  member  present,  open  Synod  with 
a  sermon,  and  preside  until  a  new  moderator  be  chosen." 

"  That  the  Presbyteries  of  South  Carolina,  Hopewell,  and  Har- 
mony, be  constituted  a  Synod  to  be  known  by  the  name  of  the  Sy- 
nod of  South  Carolfna  and  Georgia  :  to  meet  on  the  first  Thurs- 
day in  November,  in  the  year  1813,  at  Upper  Long  Cane  Church, 
and  afterwards,  on  their  own  adjournments.  That  the  Rev.  Dr. 
Henry  Kolluck,  or  in  case  of  his  absence,  the  senior  minister  pre- 
sent, preach  the  opening  sermon  ;  and  preside  until  a  moderator  be 
chosen." 

Svnod  adjourned  sine  die,  concluded  with  prayer. 

James  Hall,  Moderator. 


476  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 

REV.    JOHN    MAKEMIE    WILSON,    D.D.,    AND    THE    CHURCH    OF    ROCKY 

RIVER. 

Nurtured  in  the  bloody  scenes  of  the  Revolution,  Mr.  Wilson 
was  pre-eminently  a  man  of  peace.  "  No  cases  come  to  court 
from  that  part  of  Mecklenburg,"  was  said  significantly  of 
Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia,  while  he  was  pastor  of  these 
two  large  and  nourishing  congregations,  numbering,  at  his 
death,  more  members  than  any  other  pastoral  charge  in  the  Synod, 
and  composing  originally  but  one  congregation,  by  the  name  of 
Rocky  River.  His  early  years  were  spent  at  the  place  of  his  birth, 
about  six  miles  east  of  Charlotte,  in  Mecklenburg  county,  North 
Carolina,  within  the  bounds  of  Sugar  Creek  congregation.  The 
event  of  his  birth  took  place  in  the  year  1769.  His  father  was 
from  England,  and  in  early  life  was  engaged  in  mercantile  business 
in  Philadelphia.  From  that  city  he  removed  to  North  Carolina, 
married,  and  settled  in  Mecklenburg  county,  and  was  actively  en- 
gaged with  the  citizens  of  that  section  of  country,  that  Tarleton,  in 
his  Campaigns,  says  was  "  more  hostile  to  England  than  any  other 
part  of  America "  in  carrying  on  the  struggle  for  Independence. 
He  died  before  the  British  army  encamped  at  Charlotte  in  1780, 
leaving  three  children.  When  the  ravages  of  the  enemy  in  South 
Carolina,  particularly  about  the  time  of  Buford's  Massacre,  drove 
the  inhabitants  from  their  houses  to  seek  refuge  in  North  Carolina, 
the  families  on  the  Waxhaw  found  refuge  in  Mecklenburg,  and 
widow  Jackson,  with  her  son  Andrew,  resided  for  a  time  at  the 
house  of  widow  Wilson.  The  two  boys,  Andrew  and  John  M., 
were  of  about  the  same  age,  and  worked  and  played  together,  full 
of  the  spirit  of  independence,  little  conscious  of  the  part  they 
would  afterwards  act,  one  in  the  church,  and  the  other  in  the  state. 
The  place  in  which  Andrew  Jackson  passed  his  early  years  was 
claimed  by  North  Carolina  for  a  long  time  ;  but  is  within  the 
bounds  of  South  Carolina,  as  now  settled  by  the  mutual  agreement 
of  the  States. 

The  congregation  of  Sugar  Creek  had  for  its  pastor  Rev.  Joseph 
Alexander,  who  was  one  of  the  five  pastors  that  regularly  served 


REY.    JOHN    MAKEMIE     WILSON.  477 

their  congregations  during  the  distressing  scenes  of  the  war,  be- 
tween the  Yadkin  and  Catawba  Rivers.  His  compeers  in  service, 
Hall,  Balch,  McCaule  and  McCorkle,  were  no  common  men.  In 
their  congregation*  the  regular  instructions  in  the  sanctuary,  and 
the  religious  education  of  children,  were  less  neglected  than  in 
those  congregations  around  that  were  served  by  missionaries,  and 
supplies  sent  out  by  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  Philadelphia. 

An  incident  in  the  early  life  of  Mr.  Wilson  was  often  referred 
to  by  his  mother.  When  just  beginning  to  walk,  he  strayed  away 
to  amuse  himself,  in  a  distant  part  of  the  yard  enclosing  the  house. 
After  a  little  time  he  was  seen  sitting  on  the  ground  apparently 
greatly  pleased  with  some  object  lying  by  his  side.  His  mother's 
approach  but  pleased  him  the  more,  in  his  dangerous  sport.  With 
breathless  haste  she  seized  him,  quick  as  thought,  and  pressed 
him  to  her  bosom,  overcome  with  emotion  ;  for  he  was  drawing 
his  hand  over  the  folds  of  a  large  rattlesnake,  apparently  delighted 
with  the  smooth  skin  and  bright  colors  of  the  reptile.  His  pre- 
servation was  considered  providential ;  and  the  thoughts  and  re- 
flections connected  with  it  had  an  influence  on  his  future  life.  A 
pious  mother  could  scarcely  refrain  from  devoting  such  a  boy  to 
God's  peculiar  service,  with  an  energy  that  must  affect,  not  only 
her  own,  but  also  the  mind  and  heart  of  her  child.  And  we  are 
not  surprised  to  find  that  he  was  encouraged  in  early  life  to  com- 
mence a  literary  course  of  study. 

The  intended  college  at  Charlotte  had  been  denied  a  charter  by 
the  king,  though  no  money  or  any  peculiar  privileges  had  been 
sought  from  the  government,  and  the  colonial  legislature  had  twice 
granted  the  request  of  the  people  of  Mecklenburg,  who  were  anx- 
ious for  the  education  of  their  sons  :  and  the  invasion  of  North 
Carolina  by  Cornwallis,  in  1780,  had  broken  up  the  institution 
which  was  in  active  operation  under  Dr.  McWhorter,  from  New 
Jersey,  without  State  patronage,  under  the  name  of  Liberty  Hall. 
After  the  departure  of  the  invading  army,  the  exercises  of  the 
institution  to  supply  the  place  of  a  high  school  and  measurably  of 
a  college,  were  resumed  under  the  directions  of  Dr.  Henderson,  a 
physician  of  eminence.  At  this  school,  when  twelve  years  old, 
Mr.  Wilson  commenced  his  classical  education.  For  want  of 
funds  the  number  of  teachers  was  small,  and  the  public  attention 
was  so  drawn  by  the  efforts  to  establish  Mount  Zion  College  at 
Winnsborough,  South  Carolina,  under  the  talented  president,  the 
Rev.  T.  H.  McCaule,  that  little  was  done  for  the  Charlotte  school 


478  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

except  what  might  be  accomplished  by  the  enterprise  of  a  few 
individuals. 

His  literary  course  was  completed  at  Hampden  Sydney 
College,  in  Prince  Edward  county,  Va.,  then  having  for  its  Presi- 
dent, that  noted,  and  eminently  successful  preacher,  John  B. 
Smith,  D.D.,  whose  name  is  connected  with  that  great  revival  of 
religion  in  1788,  and  onward,  the  influence  of  which  was  felt  in 
Virginia  and  Carolina,  in  bringing  multitudes  into  the  church, 
some  few  of  whom  still  remain,  just  on  the  horizon  of  life — and  in 
raising  up  a  host  of  preachers,  whose  labors  have  done  much  to 
spread  the  influence  of  the  gospel  over  the  South  and  West.  For 
a  classmate,  he  had  Moses  Waddel,  afterwards  distinguished  as 
a  divine  and  teacher  of  youth,  having  trained  some  of  the  most 
eminent  men  in  South  Carolina  both  in  Church  and  State  ;  and  con- 
tested with  him  the  first  distinction  at  the  graduation  of  the  class. 
Having  heartily  embraced  the  gospel  of  our  Lord  Jesus  Christ, 
as  containing  the  principles  by  which  he  would  be  governed,  and 
the  truths  by  which  he  hoped  to  be  saved,  he  devoted  himself  to 
the  work  of  the  ministry  of  reconciliation ;  and  chose  as  his  pre- 
ceptor in  Theology,  that  pioneer  of  domestic  missions  in  North 
Carolina,  the  Rev.  James  Hall,  D.D.,  of  Iredell  county,  whom  he 
had  known  from  his  youth. 

The  Presbytery  of  Orange,  at  that  time  embracing  all  North 
Carolina,  in  the  summer  of  1793,  gave  him  license  to  preach  the 
gospel  as  a  probationer  ;  and  according  to  a  good  custom  of  send- 
ing candidates  on  missions,  the  revival  of  which  would  be  advan- 
tageous to  the  church,  the  ministers,  and  the  community  at  large, 
he  was  sent  by  the  commission  of  Synod,  on  a  missionary  excur- 
sion of  many  months  through  the  counties  in  the  lower  part  of  the 
State.  He  then  made  his  residence  for  some  years  in  Burke 
county,  in  the  midst  of  a  shrewd,  intelligent  population,  of  Scotch- 
Irish  origin,  from  among  whom  but  few  churches  had  at  that 
time  been  gathered  ;  and  was  ordained  pastor  about  the  year 
1795.  With  the  people  of  Burke  county,  he  remained  till  the 
year  1801,  when  he  accepted  a  call  from  the  congregation  of 
Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia.  While  resident  in  Burke  county, 
his  labors,  as  a  minister,  were  eminently  successful  in  raising  the 
standard  of  piety,  in  planting  new  churches,  and  adding  to  the 
numbers  of  the  old  ones  ;  and  when  he  left  the  county,  he  carried 
with  him  the  high  respect  of  the  community  at  large,  and  the 
reverence  of  Christians. 


REV.    JOHN    MACKEMIE     WILSON.  479 

While  resident  in  Burke  he  was  united  in  marriage  with  Miss 
Mary  Erwin,  the  daughter  of  Alexander  Erwin,  of  that  county, 
and  found  in  her  an  amiable,  pious,  and  intelligent  companion, 
and  pastor's  wife,  for  more  than  thirty  years.  He  survived  her 
about  five  years. 

The  congregation  to  which  he  removed  in  1801,  and  in  the 
service  of  which  he  spent  his  manhood  and  his  age,  originally 
formed  but  one,  and  that  among  the  oldest  in  the  Presbytery  of 
Concord,  or  in  the  State.  The  precise  date  of  the  first  settle- 
ments in  that  part  of  Mecklenburg  included  in  the  bounds  of 
Rocky  River  congregation  cannot  now  be  known,  but  as  early  as 
1755  a  request  for  supplies  from  Rocky  River  appears  upon  the 
records  of  the  Synod  of  New  York.  Mention  is  made  of  the 
destitute  state  of  the  neighborhoods  of  North  Carolina,  but  the 
names  of  places  are  not  given.  But  in  1755  "  Synod  appoint 
Mr.  Clark  to  take  a  journey  into  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  to 
supply  the  vacancies  there  for  six  months,  betwixt  this  and  next 
Synod,  particularly  at  Rocky  River  and  Sugar  Creek,  at  the 
Hawfields,  Eno,  Hico,  and  Dan  Rivers."  The  Rev.  Alexander 
Craighead  retreating  from  the  incursions  of  the  Indians  that  were 
laying  waste  the  frontiers  of  Maryland,  Virginia,  and  Pennsylva- 
nia, after  Braddock's  defeat,  in  1755,  visited  this  country,  to 
which  part  of  his  flock  had  retreated  from  the  Cowpasture.  The 
time  of  his  first  visit  cannot  be  precisely  ascertained.  In  Janu- 
ary, 1758,  the  Presbytery  of  Hanover  holding  its  session  at  Capt. 
Anderson's,  in  Cumberland  county,  Virginia,  directed  Mr.  Craig- 
head to  visit  Rocky  River  on  the  second  Sabbath  of  February. 
In  the  April  following  a  regular  call  was  presented  from  Rocky 
River  for  Mr.  Craighead's  services,  which  he  accepted ;  an  order 
was  taken  for  his  installation  by  Mr.  Martin.  This  order  not 
being  carried  into  effect,  the  Rev.  W.  Richardson  was  directed, 
in  September,  to  attend  to  the  installation,  while  on  his  way  to 
the  Cherokee  Indians.     This  it  appears  was  attended  to. 

In  the  year  1761,  in  the  list  of  places  supplicating  supplies 
from  the  Synod  of  New  York  and  New  Jersey,  Rocky  River  has 
a  place,  and  the  name  of  Daniel  Caldwell,  one  of  the  first  settlers, 
was  on  the  list  of  members  of  Synod. 

The  first  regular  supply  after  Mr.  Craighead  of  whom  there  is 
any  account,  was  the  Rev.  Hezekiah  James  Balch,  of  Revolu- 
tionary memory,  who  by  order  of  Synod  was  ordained  in  1769, 
to  accept  a  call  from  Carolina  by  the  Presbytery  of  Donegall,  by 
which  he  had  been  licensed  as  probationer  in  1768. 


480  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Rocky  River  was  one  of  the  seven  congregations  that  covered 
the  region  of  country  represented  in  the  convention  at  Charlotte, 
of  Declaration  memory,  and  was  no  disinterested  spectator  of  the 
doings  and  catastrophe  of  the  Regulation.  The  first  settlers  in 
the  bounds  of  the  congregation  were  all  of  the  Scotch-Irish  race, 
that  landed  in  Pennsylvania,  and  after  tarrying  a  short  time  there, 
or  in  Maryland,  found  their  way  to  North  Carolina.  As  was  usual, 
they  came  in  a  company  :  Col.  Robert  Harris,  on  Reedy  Creek ; 
his  brother,  Samuel  Harris,  on  Clear  Creek ;  Andrew  Davis,  on 
Reedy  Creek ;  Moses  Shelby,  on  Clear  Creek  ;  Wm.  White  and 
his  two  brothers,  James  and  Archibald,  on  or  near  Rocky  River  ; 
David  Caldwell,  on  Caldwell's  Creek ;  and  Adam  Alexander  on 
Clear  Creek.  Others  probably  came  with  these,  but  their  names 
are  not  known.  As  the  tide  of  emigration  was  turned  by  the  In- 
dian depredations  to  the  peaceful  streams  of  Carolina,  the  settle- 
ments rapidly  increased  and  formed  a  vigorous,  active  and  inde- 
pendent part  of  the  county.  The  Morrison  family  came  early  to 
Rocky  River  from  Scotland,  making  a  short  sojourn  in  Pennsyl- 
vania. There  were  three  brothers,  two  of  them  lived  to  a  great 
age.  The  descendants  of  the  Harris,  Alexander  and  Morrison 
families  have  been  numerous  ;  of  the  latter,  nine  have  entered  the 
ministry,  and  others  are  preparing. 

When  the  conflict  was  going  on  between  the  governor  and  those 
Regulators  that  lived  in  Granville,  Orange  and  Guilford,  the  people 
composing  this  congregation,  in  the  mass,  favorable  to  their  fellow- 
citizens  and  kinsmen  in  those  counties,  were  not,  nevertheless, 
united  as  to  the  course  to  be  pursued.  Not  having  felt  all  the 
provocations  and  impositions  of  the  people  of  Orange  and  Guil- 
ford, they  sympathized  deeply,  but  were  not  prepared  to  resist  the 
governor  by  force  of  arms.  The  orders  of  the  governor  for  the 
militia  of  the  western  counties,  to  send  their  proportion  of  men  to 
march  under  the  command  of  General  Waddel,  called  out  Capt. 
Adam  Alexander,  one  of  the  first  settlers.  How  many  of  his  mili- 
tia company  went  with  him  is  not  known.  That  he  was  unwilling 
to  shed  the  blood  of  the  Regulators,  is  readily  seen  by  reverting  to 
the  course  he  pursued  in  persuading  Waddel  to  retreat  across  the 
Yadkin,  instead  of  engaging  in  battle  or  continuing  his  march  to 
meet  the  governor. 

But  other  citizens  of  Rocky  River  were  more  decided  in  their 
feelings  and  course,  and  openly  espoused  the  cause  of  the  Regula- 
tors, refusing  to  serve  against  them,  and  acting  decisively  for  them. 
General  Waddel,  who  was  ordered  to  rendezvous  at  Salisbury,  and 


REV.    JOHN     MAKEMIE     WILSON.  481 

wait  for  the  militia  to  meet  him  on  the  2d  of  May,  was  at  his  post 
with  a  considerable  force,  and  delayed  his  march,  to  join  the  Gov- 
ernor, till  he  should  receive  the  supply  of  ammunition  expected  at 
Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

A  convoy  of  three  wagons,  loaded  principally  with  powder,  was 
on  the  way,  with  a  small  force  for  a  guard  ;  passing  through  Meck- 
lenburg county  unmolested  and  unsuspecting,  they  were  encamped 
for  the  night,  on  the  Salisbury  road,  about  three  miles  west  of 
where  Concord  town  now  stands,  Cabarrus  being  then  part  of 
Mecklenburg  county,  when  a  plan  was  suddenly  proposed  for  the 
destruction  of  the  powder,  and  as  suddenly  executed.  Nine  per- 
sons from  the  Rocky  River  congregation, — James,  William,  and 
John  White,  three  brothers,  and  sons  of  James  White,  one  of  the 
first  settlers  on  Rocky  River ;  William  White,  a  cousin  of 
theirs  ;  Robert  Caruthers,  Benjamin  Cockran,  Robert  Davis,  son 
of  Andrew  Davis,  one  of  the  first  settlers  on  Reedy  Creek  ;  James 
Ashmore,  and  Joshua  Hedley,  with  William  Alexander,  of  Sugar 
Creek  congregation,  and  perhaps  one  or  two  others,  bind  them- 
selves with  a  singular  and  awful  oath,  to  assist  each  other  in  the 
enterprise  on  hand,  and  keep  the  secret  of  their  participation  while 
there  might  be  danger  in  the  acknowledgment ;  and  then  black- 
ing their  faces  and  hands,  and  otherwise  disfiguring  themselves  as 
Indians,  about  the  breaking  of  day  they  seized  upon  the  convoy, 
and  permitting  the  drivers  and  their  teams  to  go  on  unharmed  with 
the  guard,  pouring  out  the  powder  upon  the  ground  in  one  large 
pile,  and  laying  a  train,  they  set  fire.  The  explosion  was  felt  for 
many  miles.  Some  thought  it  thundered ;  others  that  the  earth 
quaked. 

This  event,  with  the  unwillingness  expressed  by  the  militia  to 
kill  their  countrymen,  disheartened  Gen.  Waddel  from  forming  a 
junction  with  the  Governor.  The  secret  for  a  time  was  well  kept, 
notwithstanding  the  rewards  offered  for  discovery,  and  the  threats 
of  condign  punishment  from  the  Governor  and  officers  of  the 
crown.  At  last  one,  under  bodily  fear,  revealed  the  names  of  his 
fellow  actors,  and  put  them  all  to  great  trouble  for  a  time,  and  in- 
flicted lasting  sufferings  upon  himself  in  his  own  reflections.  The 
Declaration  of  Independence  relieved  them  from  further  appre- 
hension till  the  invasion  by  Cornwallis.  The  leader  of  the  party 
was  William  Alexander,  who,  to  distinguish  him  from  others  of  the 
same  sirname  in  the  numerous  class  of  Alexanders,  was  called 
Black  Billy  to  the  day  of  his  death.  His  bones  lie  in  Sugar 
Creek  grave-yard. 

31 


482  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Adam  Alexander  was  one  of  the  members  of  the  convention  that 
issued  the  famous  declaration  of  independence,  and  served  as 
colonel  of  the  militia.  During  the  war  he  was  frequently  in  ser- 
vice. Moses  Shelby  lived  upon  the  farm,  and  built  the  house 
occupied  by  Rev.  Mr.  Wilson,  while  pastor  of  the  congregation. 
His  family,  part  of  them  at  least,  were  born  in  Maryland  previous 
to  the  emigration  to  Carolina.  John  Query,  one  of  the  convention 
at  Charlotte,  belonged  to  the  bounds  of  Rocky  River.  He,  Adam 
Alexander  and  Moses  Shelby,  lived  in  the  bounds  of  what  is  now 
Philadelphia,  called  for  a  time,  Clear  Creek.  The  two  former 
were  both  elders  in  the  church. 

These  few  facts  are  mentioned  to  show  the  patriotism  of  the 
charge  to  which  Dr.  Wilson  ministered  the  greater  part  of  his 
active  life.  He  labored  with  and  for  the  men  who  acted  in  the 
Revolution,  and  for  their  children.  And  if  the  men  that  pitched 
their  tents  in  this  part  of  Cabarrus  were  like  their  descendants  that 
meet  at  Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia,  as  members  of  the  church, 
they  were  men  that  loved  their  Bibles  and  Catechisms,  and  feared 
God. 

Mr.  Balch  preached  at  Rocky  River  and  Poplar  Tent  until  re- 
moved by  death,  after  a  service  of  about  six  or  seven  years.  About 
the  year  1778,  Robert  Archibald  was  ordained  as  pastor,  and  con- 
tinued for  a  number  of  years  to  preach  at  Rocky  River  and  Poplar 
Tent,  and  teaching  a  classical  school  at  Poplar  Tent,  in  which 
some  eminent  men  were  educated. 

During  a  vacancy  in  the  church,  after  Mr.  Archibald  ceased  to 
preach,  the  Rev.  James  Hall,  of  Iredell,  and  Rev.  Joseph  D.  Kil- 
patrick,  were  sent  by  the  Presbytery  to  hold  a  communion  with 
the  church.  Those  seasons  were  then  preceded  and  followed  by 
days  of  preaching  to  the  great  congregations  that  would  generally 
collect ;  and  were  often,  as  in  this  case,  followed  by  special  bless- 
ings. Although  the  church  was  without  a  pastor,  a  precious  revi- 
val accompanied  and  followed  this  meeting,  which  resulted  in  great 
accessions  to  the  church  ;  and  was  one  of  the  most  blessed  of  the 
numerous  revivals  enjoyed  by  Rocky  River  church. 

Mr.  Alexander  Caldwell,  son  of  the  venerable  David  Caldwell, 
was  ordained  as  the  pastor  of  these  churches,  1793,  and  served 
them  with  great  acceptance,  until  the  year  1797.  To  superior 
mental  endowments,  and  great  acquirements,  he  added  a  fine  per- 
son, portly  gait,  engaging  manners,  and  eminent  Christian  charac- 
ter. But  in  the  inscrutable  providence  of  God,  he  was  afflicted 
with  the  greatest  of  human  maladies,  and  his  fine  powers  and 


REV.    JOHN    MAKEMIE    WILSON.  483 

superior  acquirements  all  ran  to  waste  under  the  influence  of  a 
disturbed  intellect.  Archibald,  his  predecessor,  of  whom  an  ac- 
count will  be  given  in  another  place,'*a  man  of  talents,  was  wrecked 
on  the  shoals  of  false  doctrine  and  ungoverned  appetites.  For 
him,  the  congregation  mourned  in  abasement,  as  for  a  fallen  star. 
But  they  wept  for  Caldwell,  in  compassion  and  amazement,  as 
•they  beheld  the  ruins  of  a  powerful  intellect,  unstained  by  crime, 
inoffensive  from  moral  pollution,  walking  among  them  like  the 
sun  eclipsed,  dimmed  but  unfallen. 

The  first  symptom  of  the  disease  was  melancholy,  and  through 
the  remainder  of  his  life,  which  was  protracted  to  the  year  1841, 
an  air  of  pensive  sadness  hung  upon  his  features.  Studious, 
philosophic,  cheerful,  and  devotional,  he  spent  his  time  in  adding 
manuscript  to  manuscript ;  always  harmless,  and  peculiarly  at- 
tentive to  the  private  duties  of  a  Christian,  he  attracted  the  atten- 
tion, and  awakened  the  sympathies  of  his  whole  circle  of  ac- 
quaintances. His  immense  collection  of  manuscripts  exhibited 
reading,  investigation,  logical  discussion  ;  but  a  vein  of  disorganiz- 
ing madness  ran  through  the  whole.  One  cannot  reflect  without 
emotion,  upon  the  happy  change  that,  in  all  human  probability, 
death  must  have  wrought  upon  his  diseased  mind,  when  his  mor- 
tality was  put  off,  and  his  immortality  put  on  in  the  presence  of 
God. 

Mr.  Wilson,  the  successor  of  Mr.  Caldwell,  after  an  interval 
occupied  by  supplies,  received  his  dismission  from  Quaker 
Meadow,  and  his  calls  to  Rocky  River  and  Philadelphia,  at  the 
same  Presbytery,  Sept.,  1801.  His  ministerial  course  was  worthy 
of  the  age  in  which  he  was  born,  and  the  instructors  by  whose 
instrumentality  he  was  fitted  for  the  work  of  his  Lord's  vineyard. 
If  there  be  truth  in  the  proverb  that  "  he  is  the  best  fisherman  who 
catches  most  fish,"  Wilson  was  among]  the  best  of  preachers  and 
pastors.  A  brother  minister,  well  acquainted  with  the  circum- 
stances, says — "  It  is  believed  that  no  such  country  congregation, 
as  Rocky  River,  can  be  found  south  of  Pennsylvania  ;  and  Phila- 
delphia is  among  the  largest  in  the  Presbytery  of  Concord. 
Since  his  death,  each  church  has  its  pastor,  which  might  have 
been  so  long  before  that  event,  but  for  the  attachment  to  him  as  a 
man  and  a  minister." 

A  successor  to  Mr.  Wilson  says  of  him — "  I  have  formed  a  very 
high  estimate  of  his  learning,  piety,  and  successful  labors  as  a 
minister  of  Jesus  Christ ;  and  this  estimate  I  have  formed  almost 
exclusively  from  intercourse  with  the  people  of  his  former  charge, 


484  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

and  the  fruits  still  visible  of  his  long-continued  labors  among  them. 
To  this  day  his  opinions  and  example  are  often  referred  to,  as, 
after  the  Bible,  of  paramount  authority,  and  that  by  almost  all 
classes  in  the  community.  It  is  no  doubt  owing,  in  a  great  mea- 
sure, to  Dr.  Wilson's  training,  that  Rocky  River  congregation  is 
(perhaps  I  might  say)  noted  for  the  following  particulars,  viz. : 

"  1st.  General,  constant,  and  punctual,  as  well  as  respectful  at- 
tenaance  upon  the  stated  public  means  of  grace.  All  the  families 
attend  church. 

"  2d.  Their  system,  union  and  harmony  of  action  in  managing 
congregational  affairs,  especially  in  financial  concerns. 

"3d.  The  very  manifest  intelligence,  especially  of  the  older 
people,  and  particularly  in  religious  knowledge. 

"  4th.  The  attention  which  is  universally  paid  to  the  Catechisms 
and  other  doctrinal  instructions  of  the  church." 

"  It  was  his  custom,"  says  the  author  of  a  sketch  of  his  life, 
"  regularly  to  hold  examinations  in  the  various  sections  of  his  con- 
gregations, in  which  the  adults  were  examined  in  the  doctrines  and 
precepts  of  the  Bible,  and  the  children  were  catechised  in  the  most 
condescending  and  affectionate  manner.  Such  examinations  were 
instrumental  in  diffusing  a  spirit  of  improvement,  removing  pre- 
judices against  the  truth,  increasing  the  amount  of  scriptural 
knowledge,  and  securing  steadfastness  in  the  faith  of  Christians. 
Hence,  perhaps,  few  congregations  can  be  found  where  there  is 
more  knowledge  respecting  the  doctrines  of  religion,  compared 
with  their  attainments  on  other  subjects,  than  those  to  which  he 
ministered." 

His  manner  of  preaching,  free  from  all  harshness,  was  strikingly 
characterized  by  a  tenderness  that  reached  the  hearts  of  those  for 
whom  it  was  felt.  He  never  pretended  a  fervency  which  he  did 
not  feel ;  and  reverence  for  God  appeared  both  in  the  matter  and 
manner  of  his  sermons.  He  valued  men's  souls,  and  feared  his 
God.  "  He  trusted  in  God  to  make  him  faithful  and  successful  in 
his  work.  This  dependence  upon  God  for  success,  so  far  from 
relaxing  his  diligence,  stimulated  him  to  greater  activity  in  preach- 
ing the  gospel,  and  was  the  ground  of  his  encouragement  amid  all 
his  labors."  "  His  zeal  did  not  rise  and  sink,  as  the  outward  ap- 
pearances of  usefulness  were  bright  or  forbidding.  But  his  life 
presented  a  uniformity  of  untiring  effort,  which  seemed  to  flow 
from  an  unshaken  confidence  in  the  presence  and  blessing  of  God. 
This  strong  and  humble  reliance  upon  God  proved  how  deep  and 
abiding  was  the  impression  of  the  magnitude  and  responsibility  of 


REV.    JOHN    MAKEMIE    WILSON.  485 

his  ministry.  Dr.  Wilson  earnestly  desired  and  confidently  ex- 
pected success  in  his  work, — and  he  was  not  forsaken  to  the  curse 
of  those  who  do  the  work  of  God  deceitfully." 

"  He  regarded  an  unwillingness  to  submit  to  the  decision  of 
pious,  judicious,  and  disinterested  arbitrators,  as  evidence  of  a  bad 
cause,  or  proof  of  malignity  inconsistent  with  the  spirit  of  true 
religion.  He  believed  that  the  members  of  the  church  are  com- 
petent to  settle  their  differences  by  friendly  reference  to  each 
other,  and  that  they  are  bound  to  do  so  by  the  laws  of  the  Lord 
Jesus  Christ.  So  judicious  and  affectionate  were  his  counsels  on 
this  subject,  and  such  the  weight  of  his  influence,  that  it  was  com- 
paratively rare  for  suits  to  be  taken  by  the  members  of  his  churches 
to  the  civil  courts. 

After  laboring  with  his  people  some  eleven  years,  he  yielded  to 
their  solicitations  to  open  an  academy  for  the  education  of  young 
men,  particularly  as  some  of  the  members  of  his  charge  wished 
to  educate  their  sons  for  the  ministry.  He  opened  his  academy 
about  a  mile  from  his  house,  in  1812,  and  had  a  flourishing  school 
while  he  continued  to  teach,  which  was  about  twelve  years.  Most 
of  his  pupils  entered  public  life,  and  twenty-five  became  ministers 
of  the  gospel.  The  following  is  a  list : — Rev.  Messrs.  Jas.  Mor- 
rison, N.  R.  Morgan,  Thomas  Alexander,  John  Silliman,  John  M. 
Erwin,  Robert  King,  James  B.  Stafford,  R.  H.  Morrison,  Elam  J„ 
Morrison,  Hugh  Wilson,  Samuel  L.  Watson,  Thomas  Davis,  Cy- 
rus Johnston,  Henry  N.  Pharr,  J.  Le  Roy  Davies,  Wm.  B.  Davies, 
C.  Le  Roy  Boyd,  James  Stafford,  Alexander  E.  Wilson,  James 
E.  Morrison,  Robert  Hall,  John  M.  Wilson,  Dion  C.  Pharr,  Wm. 
N.  Morrison,  A.  R.  Pharr.  In  about  fifteen  years  fifteen  young 
men  from  Rocky  River  entered  the  ministry,  many  of  whom  could 
not  have  received  a  classical  education  but  for  Dr.  Wilson's  aca- 
demy. His  students  loved  him,  venerated  and  obeyed  him;  and 
under  the  discipline  of  his  school  felt  impelled  to  efforts  after  good- 
ness and  excellence. 

Punctual  in  his  attendance  on  the  judicatories  of  the  church,  in 
which  he  was  an  active  and  beloved  member,  his  last  visits  from 
home  were  in  attendance  on  the  Presbytery  in  Morganton,  in  the  fall 
of  1830,  and  on  the  Synod,  whose  sessions  were  held  soon  after  in 
Hopewell.  From  peculiar  excitement,  he  slept  little  during  these 
meetings,  and  returned  home  laboring  under  a  degree  of  exhaustion 
from  which  he  never  recovered.  Dr.  Morrison,  the  author  of  a  short 
'  memoir  of  him  that  appeared  in  the  Watchman  of  the  South,  who 
had  been  one  of  his  pupils  and  had  grown  up  under  his  ministry, 


486  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

says — "  It  was  our  privilege  to  visit  him  not  long  before  his  death. 
Apparently  impressed  with  the  belief  that  the  interview  might  be 
the  last,  he  voluntarily  and  tenderly  spoke  of  his  prospects.  He 
stated  distinctly,  and  perhaps  repeated  it,  that  in  facing  death,  he 
had  no  transporting  views  or  rapturous  feelings,  but  a  firm  and 
sustaining  hope  of  heaven,  founded  solely  on  the  merits  of  Christ. 
He  alluded  to  the  labors  of  his  life,  only  to  praise  God  for  the 
tokens  of  his  grace ;  expressed  entire  submission  to  the  divine  will 
in  reference  to  his  dissolution,  and  a  joyful  expectation  o£  spend- 
ing eternity  in  the  presence  and  work  of  the  Redeemer.  Nothing 
could  be  more  animating  than  the  confidence  he  expressed  in  our 
Lord  Jesus  Christ." 

His  death,  confidently  expected  by  himself,  came  at  last  some- 
what unexpectedly  to  his  family,  as  he  himself  had  intimated  that 
it  probably  would.  The  last  evening  of  his  life,  he  sat  up  till 
his  usual  hour,  conversing  cheerfully  with  his  family,  showing  no 
special  symptoms  of  his  immediate  dissolution,  and  having  walked 
about  that  day.  About  three  o'clock  in  the  morning,  he  called  to 
his  son  Isaac,  complaining  of  being  cold,  and  uttering  a  few  brokers 
incoherent  expressions,  became  speechless.  About  nine  o'clock  on 
the  morning  of  Saturday,  the  30th  of  July,  1831,  his  spirit  passed 
away  from  earth  to  meet  his  Saviour  in  paradise. 

Dr.  Robinson,  of  Poplar  Tent,  his  long-tried  and  valued  friend, 
his  school-mate  at  Charlotte,  his  fellow  student  of  theology,  with 
Dr.  Hall,  of  Iredell,  and  his  near  neighbor  and  co-laborer  in  the 
ministry  for  many  years,  reached  his  house  on  Saturday  afternoon., 
according  to  a  previous  appointment,  to  spend  the  night  and  preach 
at  Rocky  River  on  the  following  Sabbath. 

A  large  part  of  the  Philadelphia  congregation  assembled  with 
the  congregation  of  Rocky  River  on  Sabbath,  and  paid  the  last  at- 
tention to  the  remains  of  the  beloved  pastor.  The  immense  church 
of  Rocky  River  being  too  small  for  the  assembly,  the  corpse  was 
placed  in  front  of  the  stand  or  tent,  in  the  beautiful  grove  occupied 
by  the  congregation  for  sacramental  meetings,  and  the  people  ga- 
thered around.  In  that  grove,  sacred  from  recollections  of  commu- 
nion services  from  time  immemorial,  and  now  hallowed  by  the  first 
funeral  rites  of  a  pastor,  they  listened,  with  emotions  unutterable, 
to  the  funeral  discourse  of  the  venerable  man,  who  had  come  to  visits 
not  to  bury  his  friend  ;  and  then  followed  to  the  grave  the  remains 
of  the  minister  under  whose  instruction  the  greater  part  of  them 
had  grown  up  to  years  of  discretion,  and  many  had  obtained  hopes 
of  acceptance  with  God. 


REV.    JOHN     MAKEMIE    WILSON.  487 

Of  his  nine  children,  five  were  sons  ;  of  these,  two  became  minis- 
ters of  the  gospel.  One,  John  Wilson,  the  successor  of  Dr.  Hall, 
is  still  living.  The  other,  Alexander  E.  Wilson,  died  in  Africa. 
On  account  of  an  impediment  in  his  speech,  supposing  that  he 
could  not  be  useful  as  a  preacher,  he  had  pursued  the  study  and 
commenced  the  practice  of  medicine  ;  but  feeling  the  desire  to  spend 
and  be  spent  in  the  labors  of  the  gospel  ministry  increasing  upon 
him,  he  gave  up  the  very  fair  prospects  by  which  he  was  surrounded 
in  the  pursuit  of  his  profession,  and  devoted  himself  to  the  cause  of 
missions  in  Africa,  to  which  country  the  successor  of  Dr.  Wilson, 
the  Rev.  Daniel  Lindley,  had  turned  his  attention  as  the  field  of  la- 
bor for  which  he  would  exchange  the  flourishing  congregation  of 
Rocky  River.  In  company  with  his  pastor,  Mr.  Wilson  sailed  to 
Africa.  After  many  difficulties,  the  mission  was  established  among 
the  Zulu  tribes  with  fair  prospects ;  but  the  unhappy  war  between 
the  natives  and  the  colonists  broke  up  the  mission.  Mr.  Wilson 
was  called  by  the  providence  of  God  to  bury  with  his  own 
hands  his  beloved  wife,  who  had  accompanied  him  from  Rich- 
mond, Virginia,  afflicted  yet  not  dispirited  by  her  death.  The 
devoted  woman  having  cheerfully  encountered  hardships  to  which 
she  was  unaccustomed,  and  as  it  appears  unequal,  just  entered  the 
little  cabin  built  for  her  residence  as  a  missionary,  and  found  that  in 
the  mysterious  providence  of  God,  her  life  must  end  just  when  she 
supposed  her  missionary  usefulness  had  commenced.  Committing 
all  things  to  the  hand  of  Him  whom  she  served,  she  was  joyful  in 
death,  and  sent  to  her  relations  and  friends  in  America  the  cheering 
message  that  she  was  glad  she  had  come  to  Africa,  though  she  was 
to  find  so  early  a  grave.  After  a  visit  to  his  native  State,  Mr.  Wil- 
son returned  to  Africa,  and  commenced  the  work  of  a  missionary, 
with  unabated  zeal,  on  the  Western  coast.  His  race  was  short,  be- 
ing called  to  his  reward  on  the  *  *  day  of  *  *  *  *,  he  laid 
his  bones  in  the  soil  of  his  intended  field  of  labor,  the  offering 
from  Rocky  River,  and  the  earnest  of  future  blessings  in  that  debased 
land. 

"  To  comprehend  how  great  a  work  Dr.  Wilson  performed,  we 
should  be  able  to  tell  into  how  many  families  he  bore  the  words 
of  instruction  and  consolation,  to  how  many  souls  he  was  the  in- 
strument of  salvation,  to  how  many  minds  he  was  the  means  of 
unsealing  the  fountains  of  knowledge ;  and  not  only  how  many 
ambassadors  of  Christ  he  was  blessed  of  God  in  raising  up,  but 
how  great  their  influence  shall  be  for  good  on  earth.  *  *  *  * 
No  doubt,  generations  will  pass  before  the  witnesses  of  his  useful- 


488  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

ness  below  shall  cease  to  meet  him  on  high,  and  when  the  register 
shall  be  completed  on  earth,  it  will  be  remembered  in  Heaven." 

"  In  the  new  grave-yard  north  of  Rocky  River  church,  to  the  left 
of  the  entrance  stands  the  marble  which  marks  the  grave  of  this 
great  and  good  man."  The  inscription  upon  the  grave-stone  of  the 
only  minister  whose  ashes  repose  with  the  congregation  of  Rocky 
River,  is : 

Sacred  to  the  memory  of  the  learned,  pious, 

and  venerable  minister  of  the  gospel,  Rev. 

John  M.  Wilson,  D.D.,  who  departed  this  life,  July 

30th,  1831,  aged  62  years,  for  about  30  years  the 

able,  and  faithful,  and  beloved  pastor  of  Rocky  River 

and  Philadelphia  churches.     They  that  be  wise  shall 

shine  as  the  brightness  of  the  firmament ;  and  they 

that  turn  many  to  righteousness,  as  the  stars  for  ever  and  ever. 

Dr.  Wilson  was  about  the  ordinary  height  in  person,  of  a  remark- 
ably pleasant,  cheerful  countenance  ;  with  a  clear,  blue,  penetrating 
eye,  and  a  fine  forehead.  Calmness,  decision,  and  energy,  were 
clearly  indicated  by  his  looks  and  movements.  He  was  a  rare  com- 
bination of  decision  and  force,  with  benignity  and  amiability. 

Says  one  who  sat  long  under  his  ministry,  "  It  was  amazing  how 
he  would  hold  the  attention  of  his  audience  from  beginning  to  the 
end  of  his  sermon,  using  so  Ifttle  gesture,  often  manifesting  deep 
feeling,  seldom  any  excitement." 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  489 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 

FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS. 

The  Scotch  had  a  village  called  Cross  Creek  about  a  mile  from 
the  Cape  Fear  River,  at  head  of  boat  navigation,  soon  after  their 
settlements  became  numerous  on  the  river.  The  name  of  the 
village  took  its  origin  from  the  curious  fact  that  the  two  small 
streams,  Cross  Creek  and  Blunt's  Creek,  the  one  coming  from 
the  South  and  the  other  from  the  West,  met  and  apparently  sepa- 
rated, and  forming  an  island  of  some  size,  again  united  and 
flowed  on  to  the  river.  It  was  said  that  the  streams,  when  swelled 
by  rains,  would  actually  cross  each  other  in  their  rapid  course  to 
form  a  junction.  This  belief  arose  from  the  circumstance  that 
floatwood  coming  down  the  stream,  would  sometimes  shoot  across 
the  commingling  waters  in  the  direction  of  its  previous  course, 
and  floating  round  the  island,  would  fall  into  the  united  current. 
The  action  of  a  mill-dam  prevents  the  recurrence  of  this  phe- 
nomenon. There  are  persons  still  living  who  have  witnessed  the 
occurrence. 

In  the  year  1762,  by  an  act  of  Assembly  a  town  was  laid  out 
embracing  Cross  Creek,  and  named  Campbelton,  from  a  town  of 
that  name  in  Argyleshire,  in  Scotland,  from  which  and  its  neigh- 
borhood many  of  the  emigrants  had  come.  The  object  of  the 
Legislature  was  to  form  a  trading  town  upon  the  Cape  Fear,  of 
which  Wilmington  should  be  the  seaport,  to  take  the  produce 
from  the  upper  part  of  the  State,  particularly  the  settlements  upon 
the  Yadkin,  and  prevent  the  traffic  being  diverted  to  the  seaports 
of  South  Carolina. 

In  1771  a  public  road  was  opened  to  the  Yadkin,  and  ultimately 
to  Morganton,  and  various  inducements  held  out  to  attract  the 
course  of  trade  from  the  fertile  West  to  Fayetteville  and  Wil- 
mington. 

In  1784,  on  the  occasion  of  the  visit  of  the  Marquis  Lafayette, 
as  a  token  of  respect  for  his  character  and  admiration  for  his 
services,  the  inhabitants  proposed  a  change  of  name  from  Camp- 
bellton  to  Fayetteville. 

While  the  town  was  called  by  the  legislative  name  of  Camp- 
belton, and  the  country  name   of  Cross   Creek,  the  noted  Flora 


490  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

McDonald  made  her  abode  here  for  a  short  time.  The  founda- 
tions of  her  residence  are  still  seen  near  the  bridge,  on  the  right 
hand  as  you  pass  from  the  market  to  the  court-house. 

During  the  war  of  the  Revolution,  Cross  Creek  was  repeatedly 
the  place  of  assemblage  of  the  Scotch  forces,  on  whichever  side 
they  were  engaged.  Here  General  M'Donald  raised  his  standard 
for  the  king,  and  was  joined  by  hundreds  of  his  countrymen ;  and 
here,  one  tradition  says,  Flora  M'Donald  addressed  her  country- 
men and  clansmen  and  near  kindred,  in  words  of  prophetic  im- 
port ;  while  another,  and  probably  the  correct  tradition,  says  that 
she  bid  adieu  to  her  husband  and  relations,  in  arms,  near  her  resi- 
dence in  the  lower  part  of  Anson  county,  and  was  not  seen  in  the 
camp  at  Cross  Creek. 

The  original  settlers,  and  for  a  long  time,  all  the  inhabitants, 
were  Scotchmen  and  Presbyterians  ;  and  without  disparaging  other 
denominations,  a  few  pages  will  be  devoted  to  the  progress  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Fayetteville,  as  a  spiritual  body,  separate 
from  political  or  party  strife. 

There  was  occasional  preaching  at  Campbellton,  by  Mr.  Camp- 
bell, while  settled  near  the  Bluff;  by  Mr.  McLeod,  who  lived  a 
short  time  in  the  bounds  of  Barbacue  congregation  ;  by  Mr.  Craw- 
ford, who  also  labored  a  few  years  with  great  acceptance  among 
the  Highlanders,  soon  after  the  Revolution.  The  first  regular 
ministrations  by  a  stated  minister,  were  from  the  Rev.  David  Kerr, 
from  the  Presbytery  of  Temple  Patrick,  in  Ireland.  He  was 
acknowledged  by  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  as  a  minister  in 
good  standing,  in  connection  with  Orange  Presbytery,  in  the  year 
1789.  We  have  no  information  respecting  the  time  of  his  arrival 
in  North  Carolina,  or  the  place  of  his  preaching  for  the  first  few 
years  after  his  arrival.  In  the  year  1791,  he  took  his  abode  in 
Fayetteville,  and  commenced  regular  preaching  in  the  Court- 
House  on  Sabbath,  and  during  the  week  taught  a  classical  school 
under  the  direction  of  a  Board  of  Trustees.  His  salary  from  the 
school  was  about  $400,  and  from  his  congregation  about  the  same, 
making  about  $800  in  all.  The  ordinance  of  the  Supper  was  not 
administered  in  Fayetteville  during  his  residence,  and  it  is  not 
known  whether  the  ordinance  of  Baptism  was  or  not.  In  the  year 
1794,  he  left  the  place  for  a  situation  in  the  University  of  North 
Carolina.  In  a  short  time  he  removed  to  Lumberton,  in  Robe- 
son, and  carried  on  the  mercantile  business  while  studying  law. 
After  commencing  the  practice  of  the  law,  he  removed  to  Missis- 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  491 

sippi  Territory,  was  made  marshal,  and  soon  after  appointed  judge. 
He  closed  his  life  in  1810. 

The  second  resident  minister,  John  Robinson,  entered  upon  the 
duties  of  teacher  and  preacher  in  the  early  part  of  the  year  1800. 
Soon  after  his  arrival  he  took  the  necessary  steps  for  a  church  or- 
ganization, and  ordained  as  elders  Robert  Donaldson,  Duncan 
McLeran,  David  Anderson,  Duncan  McAuslin,  Archibald  Camp- 
bell, and  Colonel  John  Dickson. 

On  the  6th  of  September,  1801,  the  ordinance  of  the  Lord's 
Supper  was  for  the  first  time  administered  in  Fayetteville.  Pre- 
viously those  who  wished  to  enjoy  that  ordinance  attended  with 
some  of  the  neighboring  congregations.  At  this  time  a  large  con- 
gregation was  assembled,  and  about  one  hundred  and  fifty  persons 
sat  down  to  the  table,  of  whom  seventeen  belonged  to  Fayetteville, 
and  the  others  to  the  surrounding  congregations. 

A  great  change  took  place  under  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Robinson, 
in  the  moral  and  religious  state  of  the  community.  He  held  four 
communions  in  the  short  time  he  performed  the  duties  as  pastor, 
and  at  each  time  some  persons  were  added  to  the  church.  His 
salary  was  about  $500  from  the  congregation,  and  as  much  from 
the  school.  Finding  that  the  two  offices  were  too  burdensome  for 
his  strength,  he  proposed  giving  up  the  school  and  remaining  as 
minister.  The  congregation  considered  themselves  too  weak  to 
support  him  without  the  aid  derived  from  the  school  ;  and  with 
mutual  reluctance  the  connection  was  dissolved  on  the  29th  of  De- 
cember, 1801. 

After  a  vacancy  of  a  year,  about  the  1st  of  January,  1803,  An- 
drew Flinn,  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  who  had 
been  residing  some  time  in  Hillsborough,  accepted  an  invitation  to 
Fayetteville.  His  preaching  proved  universally  acceptable.  The 
regular  steps  having  been  taken,  he  was  in  the  month  of  June  of 
the  same  year  regularly  ordained  to  the  full  work  of  the  gospel 
ministry,  and  installed  pastor  of  the  church.  On  this  occasion  the 
solemnity  of  ordination  was  for  the  first  time  witnessed  in  Fayette- 
ville, and  was  attended  by  a  Vast  concourse  of  people. 

Previously  to  the  time  of  Mr.  Flinn,  baptism  had  been  adminis- 
tered to  children  at  home,  or  in  some  private  house.  The  practice 
had  grown  out  of  apparent  necessity.  The  ministers  of  the  gospel 
were  so  few,  their  places  of  preaching  so  irregular  and  so  distant, 
that  parents  called  upon  the  ministers  to  baptize  their  children 
whenever  they  could  find  a  convenient  opportunity  at  a  private 
house.     This  practice  prevailed  so  far  in  some  districts  as   to 


492  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

supersede  the  carrying  the  children  to  a  house  of  public  worship 
and  devoting  them  before  the  whole  congregation.  Mr.  Flinn  set 
himself  to  remedy  this  evil.  On  Sabbath  the  22d  of  April,  1804, 
the  first  public  baptism  of  children  in  Fayetteville  took  place  in 
the  court-house,  before  a  large  assembly,  where  William,  the 
infant  son  of  Elisha  and  Mary  Stedman,  and  George,  the  son  of 
Paris  J.  and  Eliza  Tillinghast,  were  devoted  to  God  in  this  ordin- 
ance. The  numerous  friends  and  relations  assembled  around 
these  parents,  and  gave  them  the  right  hand  of  fellowship  as  ex- 
pressive of  their  cordial  approbation  of  their  good  example.  The 
change  that  day  accomplished  has  been  sanctioned  by  the  church 
and  congregation  to  this  day. 

Mr.  Flinn  was  indefatigably  active  and  remarkably  zealous  in 
his  duties  as  pastor.  His  preaching  was  characterized  by  pathos 
and  frequently  great  energy ;  and  many  were  added  to  the  church 
during  the  three  years  of  his  ministry.  But  about  the  latter  end 
of  the  year  1805,  finding  himself  unable  to  perform  the  duties  of 
teacher  and  pastor,  he  resigned  his  pastoral  charge,  and  preached 
his  farewell  sermon  from  the  words — "And  now,  brethren,  I  com- 
mend you  to  God  and  the  word  of  his  grace,  which  is  able  to  give 
you  an  inheritance  among  all  them  which  are  sanctified."  His 
salary  from  the  congregation  had  been  about  $700,  and  from  his 
school  about  $500  per  annum. 

From  this  place  he  went  to  Camden,  in  South  Carolina,  and 
after  laboring  usefully  there  for  a  time,  removed  to  Williamsburg 
district.  From  this  place  he  was  soon  invited  by  a  number  of 
pious  individuals  in  Charleston,  desirous  of  forming  a  church,  to 
take  charge  of  them ;  he  accepted  the  invitation,  and  under  his 
ministry  a  flourishing  church  was  organized,  known  as  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Charleston. 

Mr.  Flinn  was  a  native  of  Sugar  Creek,  and  in  the  course  of 
his  education  for  the  ministry  experienced  the  kindness  of  Mr. 
Alexander  of  Hopewell,  the  Secretary  of  the  Mecklenburg  Conven- 
tion. He  received  his  first  degree  at  the  University  of  North 
Carolina,  in  the  year  1799,  June  13th  ;  and  in  the  year  1811  was 
honored  with  the  degree  of  D.D.  by  his  Alma  Mater. 

After  the  removal  of  Mr.  Flinn,  Mr.  Robinson  was  induced  to 
return  to  Fayetteville  the  second  time.  He  remained  three  years, 
and  was  still  more  useful  than  during  his  first  residence.  The 
labor  of  the  two  offices  becoming  oppressive,  he  left  the  congrega- 
tion the  latter  part  of  December,  1808,  and  returned  to  Poplar 

I 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  493 

Tent,    where   he   resided   till   his   death    in    1843,  honored   and 
beloved. 

The  successor  of  Mr.  Robinson  was  Wm.  Leftwich  Turner, 
from  Bedford,  Virginia,  son  of  the  Rev.  James  Turner.  He  was 
principal  of  the  academy  and  pastor  of  the  church  in  Raleigh  for 
some  time,  and  was  removed  to  Fayetteville  in  1809,  preaching 
his  first  sermon  Nov.  20th,  from  the  words,  "  Woe  is  me  if  I 
preach  not  the  gospel."  He  opened  the  academy  January  1st, 
1810.  During  that  year  the  session  commenced  regular  records 
and  register  of  births,  deaths,  baptisms,  and  marriages,  dating  from 
Nov.  2d,  1809.  This  year  he  was  blessed  with  a  revival  of  reli- 
gion, and  was  assisted  by  the  venerable  Dr.  Hall.  Thirty-one 
were  added  to  the  church  as  fruits  of  this  refreshing  season. 
From  this  time  revivals,  in  which  numbers  have  been  brought  into 
the  church,  have  not  been  unfrequent  in  Fayetteville. 

On  the  18th  of  Oct.,  1813,  Mr.  Turner  resigned  his  soul  to  the 
hands  of  his  Maker,  in  the  midst  of  the  tears  of  an  affectionate 
people,  after  pastoral  services  of  nearly  four  years,  and  in  the 
30th  year  of  his  age.  In  every  point  of  view  there  was  much 
in  Mr.  Turner  to  admire.  His  knowledge  of  men  was  large  ;  his 
discernment  clear  ;  his  sketches  graphic ;  his  sense  of  the  hu- 
morous or  ridiculous  great ;  his  understanding  strong  ;  his  ima- 
gination vivid  ;  his  piety  unaffected,  and  his  heart  tender.  As  he 
approached  the  waves  of  Jordan  he  exclaimed,  "  O  !  death,  where 
is  thy  sting  ?  O  grave,  where  is  thy  victory  ?" 

Early  the  next  year,  Jesse  H.  Turner,  the  brother  of  the  de- 
ceased pastor,  was  induced  to  remain  at  Fayetteville.  The  pre 
parations  which  had  been  commenced  during  the  life  of  his  brother, 
for  the  erection  of  a  church  building,  were  during  this  first  year 
of  his  ministry  carried  into  more  active  operation.  But  after  ob- 
taining subscriptions  to  a  considerable  amount,  the  work  was 
delayed;  and  the  corner-stone  was  not  laid  till  the  21st  of  April, 
1816.  Masonic  honor  celebrated  the  event ;  Dr.  R.  H.  Chapman 
delivered  an  address,  and  Mr.  Turner  invoked  the  blessing  of  Al- 
mighty God. 

The  house  that  was  erected  at  that  time,  was  consumed  in  the 
disastrous  fire  that  swept  away  a  large  part  of  Fayetteville  in  the 
year  18 — .  The  present  house  was  speedily  erected  on  the  site  of 
the  former,  contributions  to  some  extent  having  been  made  by  the 
churches  in  different  parts  of  the  United  States,  in  the  spirit  of 
Christian  sympathy  and  kindness. 

Mr.  Turner  left  the  church  vacant  March   1st,    1819.     Rev. 


494  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Wm.  D.  Snodgrass  succeeded  him  in  May,  and  was  removed  to 
the  Independent  Church  in  Savannah,  in  the  month  of  March, 
1822.  The  Rev.  Messrs.  R.  H.  Morrison,  James  E.  Hamner, 
each  ministered  to  the  Church  about  three  years  and  removed. 
The  Rev.  Josiah  Kilpatrick,  a  licentiate  of  Orange  Presbytery, 
who  had  grown  up  under  his  father's  ministry  in  Third  Creek 
Church,  was  settled  in  Fayetteville  with  fair  prospects  of  success  ; 
but  after  a  few  years'  labor  he  was  called  away  to  his  reward, 
and  the  church  mourned  their  second  pastor,  removed  by  death. 

After  Rev.  Henry  A.  Roland  had  served  the  congregation  three 
years,  and  had  been  removed  to  New  York  city,  the  services  of 
the  Rev.  James  W.  Douglass  were  secured  to  this  people.  Among 
them  were  expended  his  last,  and  perhaps  most  successful,  efforts 
as  a  minister  of  the  gospel ;  in  the  midst  of  zealous  labors  in  every 
department  of  ministerial  duty,  death  put  his  seal  upon  him  till 
the  great  judgment  shall  reveal  and  try  every  man's  work  what 
sort  it  is. 

It  is  no  disparagement  to  any  that  preceded  or  have  succeeded 
him  in  the  ministerial  office  in  Fayetteville  to  say,  that  his  diligence 
as  a  pastor  is  pre-eminently  worthy  of  imitation  ;  and  the  apparent 
result  of  his  faithfulness  greatly  to  be  desired  and  longed  after  by 
every  minister  of  the  gospel.  As  a  theologian  he  probably  had 
many  superiors  in  knowledge  and  acuteness  ;  but  in  faithfulness 
as  a  pastor  he  kept  a  clear  conscience.  Of  some  things,  peculiar 
to  him,  the  imitation  might  not  be  either  practicable  or  prudent ; 
but  of  many  others  it  may  be  said,  though  they  appear  peculiar, 
they  would  become  all ;  particularly  his  devotion  to  his  office,  and 
his  activity  in  every  department  of  benevolent  enterprise. 

His  happy  art  of  interesting  men  in  the  cause  of  benevolence 
and  religion  derived  no  small  part  of  its  influence  from  the  ardent 
feeling  he  cultivated  in  his  own  heart.  He  loved  the  cause  of 
Christ  because  he  loved  Christ ;  and  he  loved  Christ  because  he 
is  chief  among  ten  thousand.  When  as  a  minister  he  called  others 
to  devote  themselves  to  Christ,  he  called  with  the  spirit  that  penned 
in  his  diary,  March  14th,  1819, — "  I  will  strive  with  all  my  powers 
to  pull  down  the  kingdom  of  Satan,  and  build  up  the  kingdom  of 
the  Lord  Jesus  Christ ;"  And  again, — "  Over  the  cup  I  solemnly 
swore  to  wear  out  every  energy  in  building  up  the  kingdom  of 
Christ,  and  never  to  rest  while  there  is  a  stronghold  of  Satan  within 
my  reach." 

Born,  November  5th,  1797,  of  a  pious  mother,  member  of  the 
Presbyterian  church,  in  Augusta  county,  Virginia,  James  Walter 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  495 

Douglass  passed  the  early  part  of  his  life  under  the  instruction  of 
maternal  piety  and  example.  While  still  a  boy  he  became  a  mer- 
chant's clerk  in  Christiana,  Delaware.  On  a  visit  to  his  mother, 
when  about  seventeen  years  old,  he  heard  the  Rev.  R.  H.  Ander- 
son, minister  of  Bethel,  urging  from  the  pulpit  "  that  eminence  in 
piety  is  as  attainable,  and  as  much  required  now,  as  in  the  days  of 
the  apostles."  The  impressions  made  at  this  time  influenced  his 
whole  succeeding  Christian  life.  The  next  year,  an  aunt,  Mrs. 
Thomson,  made  a  solemn  address  to  him  on  the  subject  of  per- 
sonal religion,  which  was  blessed  of  God  to  his  awakening.  A 
communion  season  which  he  attended  soon  after  deepened  the  im- 
pression made.  On  the  2d  of  May,  1816,  he  was  admitted  to  the 
church  in  Christiana,  of  which  the  Rev.  J.  C.  Latta  was  pastor. 
His  own  experience  on  the  manner  of  admitting  members  influ- 
enced him  to  be  particularly  careful  in  his  examination  of  candi- 
dates for  churchmembership,  in  his  after  life. 

In  October,  1816,  he  visited  New  York  on  business  for  his  em- 
ployer ;  his  temptation  and  escape,  in  that  great  city,  arc  both  in 
character  of  the  man,  exhibiting  his  warm  imagination,  his  excita- 
bility, and  his  conscientious  decision  of  character.  "  I  had  a  severe 
conflict  in  regard  to  the  theatre.  I  had  read  the  bill,  and  had  suf- 
fered my  imagination  to  be  inflamed,  until  I  could  not  resist.  I 
started  and  walked  for  about  six  squares,  halting  and  anxious  all 
the  time.  One  moment,  principle  and  conscience  would  triumph  ; 
and  the  next,  the  pleasure  I  might  enjoy  in  a  few  moments  blotted 
out  my  half-formed  resolution  ;  I  walked  on  ;  I  was  getting  near  ; 
I  turned  off  into  another  street  to  make  the  way  longer,  and  before 
I  reached  the  theatre,  the  Lord  enabled  me  to  pursue  the  dictates 
of  my  better  judgment.  I  turned  suddenly  and  walked  hastily 
back.  At  every  step  my  resolution  strengthened  ;  and  I  became 
composed,  and  I  returned  to  my  lodgings  thankful  and  exulting. 
It  was  an  important  triumph  to  me  then  ;  and  it  had  in  it  the  plea- 
sure of  self-conquest.  A  theatre  never  from  that  moment  pre- 
sented any  allurements." 

What  first  turned  his  attention  to  the  ministry  is  not  known. 
On  the  20th  of  October,  1817,  his  diary  contains  the  following 
sentence — "  I  rejoice  and  praise  God  for  the  blessed  privilege  of 
looking  towards  the  ministry  of  reconciliation,  as  the  business  of 
my  life."  His  pastor  spoke  to  him  on  the  subject  of  thus  spend- 
ing his  life  ;  and  his  heart  responded  joyfully.  He  had  no  selfish 
motives  that  he  was  sensible  of  in  these  desires.  And  as  the  diffi- 
culties which  lay  in  his  path  were  providentially  removed,  he  com- 


496  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

menced  a  course  of  study  in  preparation  for  the  ministry  in  New- 
ark Academy,  Delaware,  December  10,  1817.  In  the  following 
April  he  returned  to  Virginia  and  prosecuted  his  studies  under  the 
tuition  of  Dr.  Chapman,  then  pastor  of  Bethel  church,  Augusta. 
Here  he  distinguished  himself  for  his  interest  in  Sabbath  schools 
and  his  earnest  desires  for  a  Revival  of  Religion. 

In  the  fall  of  1819  he  became  a  member  of  the  Theological 
Seminary  at  Princeton,  and  pursued  his  studies  there  for  three 
years.  During  that  time  his  heart  became  so  interested  in  foreign 
missions,  that  a  correspondence  was  opened  with  the  secretary  of 
A.  B.  C.  F.  M. ;  and  while  circumstances  of  a  prudential  nature 
determined  him  at  that  time  to  decline  prosecuting  to  their  fulfil- 
ment his  desires  of  preaching  the  gospel  to  the  heathen,  he  never 
full)''  abandoned  the  intention  of  going  abroad ;  and,  in  the  latter 
part  of  his  life,  he  expressed  himself  to  be  waiting  for  Providence 
to  open  his  way  to  that  desired  event.        . 

In  the  year  1822  he  spent  some  time  with  the  Rev.  Asahel  Net- 
tleton,  during  a  revival  in  Somers,  Connecticut.  The  impressions 
made  by  this  visit  were  lasting  and  influential  on  his  whole  future 
life  ;  and  in  conjunction  with  his  views  respecting  foreign  missions, 
and  the  deep  feeling  for  the  wide-spread  desolations  of  the  southern 
country,  determined  him  for  a  number  of  years  to  decline  all  offers 
for  a  permanent  settlement  in  the  ministry.  The  life  of  an  evan- 
gelist presented  to  his  heart  untold  pleasures  and  unmeasured 
usefulness  ;  and  for  many  years  and  in  many  places  he  was  per- 
mitted to  enjoy  both  these  anticipations. 

During  his  stay  at  Princeton,  the  cultivation  of  pious  affections 
appears  never  to  have  been  forgotten.  His  resort  to  days  of  fasting 
was  frequent ;  sometimes  in  conjunction  with  his  brethren, 
sometimes  in  unison  with  his  mother's  family,  and  sometimes 
alone.  At  one  time  so  great  was  his  sense  of  his  deficiencies  in 
spiritual  things,  that  he  resolved  to  fall  upon  his  knees  once  every 
hour  when  awake  ;  and  in  this  he  persevered  for  some  time.  His 
journal  has  such  sentiments  as  the  following  : — "  I  feel  more  de- 
termined to  cultivate  useful  rather  than  shining  talents,  and  to 
regard  less  the  opinions  of  the  world.  '  My  soul  cleaveth  to  the 
dust.'  I  am  languid,  listless,  almost  torpid ;  I  sleep  when  I 
should  pray  ;  I  promise  when  I  should  perform.  A  procrastinating 
spirit  cuts  my  nerves.  I  am  holy  in  intention  to-morrow,  for  it  is 
no  further  off,  but  at  present  I  am  living  like  a  fool.  I  should 
strive  for  more  piety.  Five  times,  five  times  during  the  year,  at  the 
Lord's  table,  I  have  engaged  to  follow  holiness.     I  have  lost  a  cousin 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  497 

of  whose  blood  I  may  not  be  clear ;  I  never  warned  him  of  his 
danger  as  a  sinner.  I  have  studied  in  a  new  school,  witnessed 
new  scenes,  and  heard  sermons  unusual  and  impressive.  Thanks 
be  to  God  for  bringing  me  to  the  bedside  of  my  brother  Turner." 

Mr.  Douglass  was  licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presby- 
tery of  New  Castle,  at  Octorara,  August  14th,  1822.  In  the  fall, 
he  spent  a  month  as  a  missionary  on  Kerr's  Creek,  Rockbridge 
county,  Virginia  ;  in  consequence  of  which  twelve  persons  pro- 
fessed conversion.  The  year  1823,  he  passed  in  the  congrega- 
tions of  Oxford  and  Spring  Grove,  North  Carolina,  in  a  manner 
becoming  one  who  loved  to  spend  and  be  spent  for  his  Saviour, 
and  counted  no  labor  too  great  in  his  cause. 

From  Oxford,  Mr.  Douglass  went  to  Murfreesborough  Soon 
after  his  settlement  in  the  village,  there  was  a  revival  of  reli- 
gion, and  in  due  time  a  church  was  organized  of  twenty-one 
members.  While  a  resident  of  that  village,  he  was,  on  the  21st 
of  October,  1 824,  ordained  to  the  full  wTork  of  the  gospel  ministry 
by  the  Presbytery  of  Orange — "  I  have  never,"  he  says  in  his 
diary,  "  stood  in  circumstances  so  intensely  interesting  and  affect- 
ing before  ;  and  during  the  delivery  of  the  charge,  I  found  I  had 
to  restrain  my  feelings.  I  seemed  to  hear  the  voice  of  God  him- 
self, my  final  judge  declaring  to  me — their  blood  will  I  require  at 
your  hands."  About  his  call  to  the  ministry,  he  says — "  The 
many  remarkable  assistances  which  I  received  in  prosecuting  my 
preparatory  studies,  indicated  the  good  hand  of  God  upon  me.. 
Most  clearly  did  it  seem  that  he  was  helping  me  into  the  ministry. 
I  have  seen  some  fruit  of  my  labors.  My  feelings  incline  to  this 
more  than  to  any  other.  I  not  only  do  not  wish  to  be  anything 
else  than  a  minister,  but  I  could  not  endure  to  be  anything  else." 

In  March,  1826,  he  removed  to  Milton,  on  the  request  of  the 
citizens.  There  was  an  interesting  state  of  things,  which  resulted 
in  the  formation  of  a  church,  which  in  about  a  year  and  a  half 
numbered  thirty  members.  Many  in  the  surrounding  region 
will  undoubtedly,  at  the  last  day,  own  him  as  their  spiritual  father. 
In  his  diary,  Nov.  26th,  1826,  he  says — "  Never,  before,  have  I 
enjoyed  such  a  season  of  near  and  certain  communion  with  God. 
I  felt  afraid  to  cease  praying,  to  rise  from  my  knees,  or  even 
to  open  my  eyes,  lest  I  should  interrupt  the  current  of 
heavenly  consolation.  I  felt  that  I  had  experimental  evidence  that 
there  is  a  God  ;  that  religion  is  true  ;  that  communion  with  God 
is  not  a  visionary  thing  ;  I  rejoice,  and  would  be  thankful,  that  I  can 
preach  about  it,  from  a  more  thorough  experience  than  ever  before. 

32 


498  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

I  had  a  foretaste  of  the  happiness  of  heaven,  and  I  could  say  with 
unfaltering  confidence,  '  thou  art  my  God.'  '  I  know  in  whom  I 
have  believed.'  '  Thou  wilt  guide  me,  and  receive  me  to  glory.' 
The  sum  of  my  prayer  was,  that  God  would  make  me  holy 
and  wise  to  win  souls. 

In  January,  1828,  Mr.  Douglass  went  to  Briery  congregation, 
which  is  partly  in  Prince  Edward,  and  partly  in  Charlotte,  Virgi- 
nia ;  and  there  his  labors  were  followed  by  a  cheering  revival  of 
religion.  For  about  nine  months,  with  only  one  or  two  exceptions, 
hopeful  conversions  were  reported  every  week,  to  cheer  his  heart. 
In  the  course  of  the  year,  one  hundred  and  thirty-two  were  added 
to  the  communion.  His  name  is  dear  in  Briery,  where  his 
determination  to  leave  them  was  received  by  the  community  with 
sorrow. 

Having  performed  an  agency  for  the  Union  Theological  Semi- 
nary, he  took  his  abode  in  Richmond,  Oct.,  1829,  to  supply 
Shockoe  Hill  for  a  season  ;  and  in  the  midst  of  great  exertions  he 
took  cold  in  the  following  February,  from  the  effects  of  which  a 
sea  voyage  became  advisable.  He  set  sail  in  Sept.,  1830,  and 
visited  Europe,  spending  most  of  the  time  of  his  sojourn  in  Ire- 
land. His  communications  from  that  mother-land  of  many  of  the 
American  churches,  were  read  with  great  interest  for  their  simpli- 
city and  purity,  by  friends  and  strangers.  One  short  extract  from 
a  letter  to  his  mother,  bearing  date  Cork,  Nov.  5th,  1830,  will 
show  his  spirit — "  The  review  I  have  taken  to-day,  of  the  way 
by  which  the  Lord  hath  led  me,  has  been  pleasant.  Infinite  wis- 
dom, and  goodness,  and  mercy,  have  regulated  its  whole  history. 
My  present  chastening,  I  regard  as  specially  merciful,  and  it  is 
working  out,  I  trust,  the  peaceable  and  permanent  fruits  of 
righteousness.  I  have  no  fear  of  death  now,  and  I  am  also  get- 
ting clear  of  the  distressing  anxiety  to  live  a  while  longer,  to  ac- 
complish different  plans,  on  which  I  had  set  my  heart.  I  no 
longer  anxiously  pray  to  be  restored  ;  yet  I  pray  the  Lord  of  the 
harvest  to  send  forth  laborers  into  his  harvest,  and  if  he  will  accept 
me  for  one,  and  it  will  be  more  for  his  glory  to  dispose  of  me 
thus,  than  any  other  way,  then  here  am  I.  But  I  leave  it  with 
him.  I  would  not  choose  health  more  than  sickness — life  more 
than  death.  How  do  I  know  what  would  be  best  ?  You,  I  fear, 
have  more  of  painful  feeling  in  thinking  of  my  sickness  and  death. 
It  is  my  frequent  and  earnest  prayer,  that  the  Lord's  dealings  with 
me  may  be  blessed  to  your  spiritual  good,  as  well  as  my  own. 
Sister's  tears  1  am  mindful  of,  and  I  trust  that  her  tears  on  my 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  499 

account  will  work  out  for  her,  as  this  correction  is  working  out 
for  me,  patience,  experience,  and  joyful  hope." 

After  his  return  to  America,  in  the  year  1831,  he  visited  the  great 
valley  of  the  Mississippi,  as  an  agent  for  the  American  Home  Mis- 
sionary Society;  and  in  carrying  out  his  plans  for  energetic  opera- 
tions he  was  caught  in  a  snow-storm,  from  which  he  suffered,  more 
particularly,  in  the  return  of  the  bronchitis.  While  in  the  great 
valley  he  made  a  visit  to  St.  Charles,  Missouri ;  and  under  his 
preaching,  many  were  led  to  inquire  what  they  should  do  to  be 
saved,  and  about  seventy  were  added  to  the  church. 

In  October,  1832,  being  somewhat  recovered  of  his  severe  affec- 
tion, he  went  to  Lexington,  Virginia,  to  the  church  and  congrega- 
tion in  which  Dr.  Baxter  had  ministered.  Here,  as  in  other  places. 
his  labors  was  followed  by  great  visible  effects ;  not  only  the  con- 
gregation, but  the  college,  was  visited  by  a  divine  influence.  After 
remaining  here  about  a  year,  though  earnestly  desired  to  remain 
longer,  he  accepted  a  call  from  Fayetteville.  Having  been  united 
in  marriage  to  a  lady  in  Richmond  in  the  spring  of  that  year, 
1833,  he  removed  in  the  fall  to  Fayetteville,  and  there,  con- 
trary to  his  usual  habit  of  remaining  but  a  short  time  in  a  congre- 
gation, he  was  persuaded  to  protract  his  labors,  and  ultimately  to 
continue  as  the  pastor  of  the  church  till  his  death,  August,  1837. 

His  activity  and  labors  as  a  pastor  in  Fayetteville  were  beyond 
the  strength  of  most  men,  probably  were  too  great  for  his  own,  and 
may  have  hastened  his  premature  dissolution.  He  entered  into 
every  department  of  labor  with  energy  and  effect.  He  urged  on 
foreign  missions ;  his  example  spoke  all  around  his  Presbytery,  for 
domestic  missions.  He  pressed  the  circulation  of  the  Bible  through- 
out Carolina,  and  throughout  the  world.  He  made  Fayetteville  the 
centre  of  tract  operations  for  a  large  section  of  country;  and  en- 
gaged in  plans  for  the  promotion  of  education  generally,  and  par- 
ticularly for  the  gospel  ministry.  In  preaching,  exhortation,  and 
prayer,  he  abounded ;  and  in  his  multiplied  labors  he  knew  no  rest. 
The  increase  of  his  congregation  was  in  some  degree  commensurate 
with  his  labors.  He  illustrated  in  his  life  an  anecdote  of  his  own, 
which  he  relates  under  date  of  March,  1829.  "  Travelling  from 
Richmond  to  Alexandria,  I  had,  as  a  fellow  stage  passenger,  a  young 
man  who  was  by  profession  a  fool.  He  was  connected  with  the 
stage,  and  his  business  was  to  make  sport,  to  play  the  fool.  He 
acted  in  the  same  capacity  to  the  stage  passengers,  and,  with  other 
performances,  gave  a  song  with  this  chorus : — '  Push  along — Push 
along — Push  along — Keep  moving.'     What  an  efficient  ministry 


500  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

should  we  have  if  every  man  should  adopt  this  chorus  as  his  motto. 
In  the  pulpit,  for  example,  when  the  hour  arrives,  begin,  and  don't 
drag.  Don't  spend  five  minutes  in  looking  for  a  hymn  or  a  chapter. 
Let  the  parts  of  the  service  succeed  each  other  instantly.  In  the 
sermon,  push  along ;  be  in  earnest.  Keep  moving  until  you  have 
done,  then  quit,  go  home  :  go  into  your  study ;  visit ;  do  something  j 
keep  moving  until  Saturday  night,  and  you  will  see  fruit.  Let  the 
minister  keep  moving,  and  the  people  will  be  moving."  While  he 
moved,  the  people  moved.  He  was  dying,  and  the  church  was 
nourishing.  To  a  long  life  of  quiet  labors  and  gentle  decay,  he  pre- 
ferred the  rapid  race,  and  expiring  in  a  flame  of  love.  In  his  ardor 
to  wear  out  for  Christ,  he  may,  like  Espy  of  Salisbury,  have  worn 
out  too  soon.  Panting,  like  Whitefield,  to  do  much  for  his  Lord, 
like  him,  he  desired  to  die  with  his  armor  on.  In  the  Providence  of 
God  his  sun  went  down  ere  it  was  noon.  The  last  the  church  saw 
of  him,  he  was  mounting  to  the  meridian.  There  was  no  evening 
to  his  life. 

His  spirit  was  evangelical ;  his  manner  of  preaching  his  own. 
In  the  latter,  he  can  have  no  followers ;  in  the  former,  he  both  had 
examples,  and  will  have  followers  till  the  end  of  time.  In  his  pub- 
lic addresses,  there  was  plainness,  directness,  point ;  always  ferven- 
cy, and  often  pathos.  His  sermons  abounded  less  in  argument  than 
in  facts,  persuasives,  and  entreaties.  His  hearers  felt  that  he  be- 
lieved what  he  said,  and  was  in  earnest  in  saying  it;  and  were  strong- 
ly influenced  to  believe  it  too,  and  be  equally  in  earnest.  It  was  not 
that  they  had  heard  any  great  thing,  but  they  had  heard  true  things 
said  in  earnest,  and  they  wished  to  hear  the  man  again.  Many  that 
objected  to  his  manner  of  delivery,  and  were  ready  to  complain  of 
him  as  too  severe,  would,  nevertheless,  listen  to  his  fervid  addresses, 
and  be  moved  by  his  pungent  appeals. 

His  brethren  in  the  ministry  were  fond  of  his  visits,  and  the 
neighboring  congregations  glad  to  see  him  in  their  midst.  Free 
from  envy  and  jealousy  himself,  he  does  not  appear  to  have  excited 
it  in  others.  Sympathizing  with  his  brethren,  they  rejoiced  with 
him  in  his  success,  and  partook  of  his  spirit.  Those  that  acted 
much  with  him,  hardly  knew  how  to  criticise  him  ;  even  when  he 
laid  himself  open  to  it,  they  loved  him  so,  and  held  his  motives  and 
his  feelings  in  such  tender  regard.  One  who  knew  him  well  says 
of  him,  "  He  was  a  close  student ;  a  man  of  untiring  industry.  I 
have  known  him  to  spend  the  whole  evening  after  a  laborious  day's 
journey,  in  preparing  something  for  the  pulpit  or  the  press.  His 
learning  was  not  profound,  nor  his  acquisitions  astonishingly  great, 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  501 

but  everything  he  knew  was  made  to  subserve  the  cause  of  truth 
and  righteousness.  His  style  was  very  plain  and  simple,  not  desti- 
tute of  polish.  His  pulpit  performances  were  always  carefully  pre- 
pared, and  short,  seldom  exceeding  fifty  minutes.  In  the  early  part 
of  his  ministry,  he  committed  to  memory  nearly  all  his  discourses  ; 
after  his  return  from  Europe,  he  used  notes  in  the  pulpit.  His  dis- 
courses were  faithful,  pungent,  and  affectionate.  The  true  secret  of 
it  all  was  the  depth  of  his  piety,  which,  in  him,  was  an  all-pervading 
principle.  If  I  were  to  mention  any  of  his  faults,  I  should  say  he 
was  too  confiding.  They  that  turn  many  to  righteousness  shall 
shine  as  the  stars,  for  ever  and  ever." 

His  death  was  unexpected,  though  he  had  been  some  time  un- 
well. He  seemed  to  compose  himself  to  sleep  ;  and  was  roused  to 
activity  no  more.  Fayetteville  was  astonished  and  overwhelmed  at 
his  death  ;  and  in  her  grief,  multitudes  mingled  their  tears. 


FAYETTEVILLE  PRESBYTERY. 

In  the  fall  of  1812,  among  the  preliminary  steps,  to  form,  from  the 
Synod  of  the  Carolinas,  two  Synods ;  1st,  the  Synod  of  North 
Carolina,  and  2d,  the  Synod  of  South  Carolina  and  Georgia ;  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange  was  divided,  and  the  following  members  set 
off  to  form  the  Presbytery  of  Fayetteville,  viz. :  Samuel  Stanford, 
Robert  Tate,  William  L.  Turner,  Malcolm  McNair,  Murdock  Mc- 
Millan, John  Mclntyre,  William  B.  Meroney,  Allan  McDougal,  and 
William  Peacock.  Of  these,  Messrs.  Tate  and  Mclntyre  only  are 
living,  both  in  advanced  years  of  life  and  their  ministry. 

The  bounds  of  this  Presbytery  contain  the  fields  of  labor  of  the 
two  earliest  settled  Presbyterian  preachers  in  North  Carolina ; 
Hugh  McAden,  who  preached  for  some  years  in  Duplin  and  New 
Hanover,  and  James  Campbell,  who  lived  in  Cumberland  county, 
and  was  the  minister  for  the  Scotch. 

Something  has  been  said  of  Stanford,  Tate,  Turner,  and  Mero- 
ney. Something  ought  to  be  said  of  the  others.  Malcolm  McNair 
was  born  in  Robeson  county,  the  24th  of  August,  1776  ;  and  was 
reared  religiously  by  pious  parents.  After  receiving  what  instruc- 
tion could  be  imparted  by  Mr.  Nelson,  the  teacher  in  the  neighbor- 
hood, he  was  sent  to  Dr.  McCorkle's  school  in  Rowan,  for  a  time ; 
and  finished  his  course  of  study,  classical  and  theological,  with  Dr. 
Caldwell  of  Guilford,  at  whose  school  he  became  hopefully  pious. 
On  the  25th  of  October,  1799,  he  was  taken  under  care  of  the 


502  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Presbytery  of  Orange,  at  Buffalo  church  ;  and  on  the  27th  of  March, 
1801,  at  Barbacue  church,  Cumberland  county,  he  was  licensed  to 
preach  the  gospel.  At  the  same  time  and  place,  six  companions  of 
his  study  were  also  licensed,  viz. :  Duncan  Brown,  Murdock  Mur- 
phy, John  Matthews,  Murdock  McMillan,  Hugh  Shaw,  and  Ezekiel 
B.  Currie  ;  three  of  whom  are  still  living.  In  1803,  June  2d,  he 
was  ordained  pastor  of  Centre  and  Ashpole  churches  in  Robeson 
County,  and  Laurel  Hill,  in  Richmond  county,  and  in  preaching  to 
these  congregations  and  others  in  the  neighborhood  he  passed  his 
life,  which  was  brought  to  a  close  on  the  4th  of  August,  1822. 

His  labors  were  greatly  blessed  in  the  hopeful  conversion  of  many 
souls.  Dr.  Hall  makes  a  most  favorable  mention  of  him  in  his  re- 
port to  Synod,  as  appears  in  their  records  for  1810.  In  his  fune- 
ral sermon,  by  Rev.  Colin  Mclver,  it  is  said*,  "  There  was  something 
in  his  mode  of  address  so  sweetly  captivating,  so  irresistibly  allur- 
ing, that  his  preaching  was  always  listened  to  with  deep  attention, 
even  by  those  who,  on  various  occasions,  scrupled  not  to  speak  of 
the  revival,  either  as  the  offspring  of  misguided  zeal,  or  as  the  result 
of  diabolical  agency.  In  his  preaching,  he  might  truly  be  called 
an  eloquent  man  ;  and  his  eloquence  was  not  of  the  vehement,  but 
of  the  persuasive  kind.  I  can  truly  say,  that  for  suavity  of  manners 
generosity,  and  the  kindly  affections,  for  gentleness,  meekness,  and 
patience,  I  have  seldom  seen  him  equalled,  and  never  excelled.  He 
was  a  great  lover  of  peace,  and  a  punctual  member  of  the  judica- 
tories of  the  church  ;  in  both  of  these  things,  he  kept  a  good  con- 
science.    His  end  was  peace. 

Mr.  Mclntyre  still  lives,  an  example  of  active  and  zealous  old 
age.  A  Scotch  shepherd,  emigrating  to  South  Carolina,  bereft  of 
his  family,  and  a  subject  of  the  Revival  that  spread  over  the  country 
from  1802  and  onward,  he  devoted  himself  to  the  ministry,  and  at 
the  age  of  forty-four  years,  and  a  second  time  a  widower,  com- 
menced his  Latin  Grammar  with  Mr.  McMillan,  who  preached  in 
Richmond  and  Moore  counties,  and  taught  a  classical  school.  With 
prayer  and  patience  he  persevered  in  his  course  till  he  passed,  on 
examination,  in  his  Horace  and  Greek  Testament,  to  the  satisfaction 
of  Orange  Presbytery,  from  whom  he  received  license  to  preach. 
God  crowned  his  patience  and  perseverance  with  abundant  success. 
He  was  first  settled  in  Cumberland.  Dr.  Hall  mentions  him  in  his 
report  with  warm  approbation. 

Mr.  McMillan,  educated  much  as  M'Nair  had  been,  and  licensed  at  the 
same  time,  settled  in  Moore  County,  in  the  neighborhood  of  his  fel- 
low student,  and  was  blessed  in  his  labors.     M'Nair  was  suaviter  in 


FAYETTEVILLE    AND    HER    MINISTERS.  503 

modo,  M'Millan,  fortiter  in  re.  He  is  honorably  mentioned  by  Dr. 
Hall  in  his  report  to  Synod,  in  1810.  After  laboring  some  years 
in  Carolina,  he  removed  to  the  West. 

William  Peacock  was  born  in  Glasgow,  North  Britain,  Aug.  25th, 
1768.  His  father  dying  while  he  was  very  young,  he  was  trained 
up  by  a  pious  mother,  of  whom  he  used  to  say  that  she  often  took 
him,  with  her,  to  the  closet,  and  there  he  had  often  heard  her  pray. 
In  his  twenty -first  year,  he  came  to  Fayetteville  as  a  clerk  in  the 
employment  of  a  merchant.  Some  time  after,  he  opened  a  store  on 
the  Pedee,  in  Montgomery  county,  and  prospered  in  his  business. 
During  the  Great  Revival  that  spread  over  Carolina  from  1802  and 
onward,  he  became  hopefully  converted  to  God,  and  devoted  himself 
to  the  work  of  the  ministry.  The  usual  course  of  education  was 
dispensed  with  in  his  case,  and  he  was  received  under  the  care  of  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange  in  April,  1810,  and,  in  the  fall,  licensed  to 
preach ;  and,  in  the  course  of  the  next  year,  ordained  Pastor  of 
Sharon  church,  near  his  dwelling.  Here  he  labored  successfully 
till  the  close  of  his  life,  Sept.,  1830.  A  man  of  middlingstature, 
well  built,  stout  and  muscular — of  a  good  mind  and  ardent  feelings, 
he  dwelt  with  simplicity  and  force  on  the  great  truths  of  Christian 
doctrine  and  practice.  Brought  up  in  the  strict  order  of  Scotch 
Presbyterianism,  he  was,  in  his  ministerial  life,  ex  animo,  a  Presby- 
terian. His  labors  were  blessed,  and  the  bounds  of  his  church 
greatly  enlarged.  He  died  a  sa  good  man  dies ; — and  his  end  was 
peace. 

Mr.  M'Dougald  passed  his  ministerial  life  serving  the  congrega- 
tions along  the  Cape  Fear  and  its  waters — principally  Bluff  and  Tir- 
zah.  His  labors  were  very  acceptable,  till  the  infirmities  of  age 
disabled  him  for  active  service.  He  passed  to  his  reward  in  a  good 
old  age. 


504  SKETCHES    OF     NORTH    CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 

CHARLOTTE  AND  HER  RECOLLECTIONS. 

Besides  the  honor  of  being  the  seat  of  the  Convention,  in  1775., 
that  issued  the  first  Declaration  of  Independence,  Charlotte,  in 
Mecklenburg,  North  Carolina,  has  claims  upon  posterity  both 
singular  and  meritorious.  The  centre  of  a  fertile  and  populous 
county,  she  was  doomed  to  see  the  blood  of  her  sons  shed, 
and  the  Declaration  of  Independence  of  all  foreign  dominion, 
maintained  at  the  point  of  the  British  bayonet. 

After  the  battle  of  Camden,  Charlotte,  that  had  been  a  rallying 
place  for  the  American  forces,  became  designated  as  the  head- 
quarters of  the  British  army.  The  resistance  made  by  the  few 
troops  that  could  be  hastily  assembled,  was  in  the  hope  of  delay- 
ing and  intimidating,  rather  than  in  the  expectation  of  successfully 
opposing  the  advance  of  the  enemy. 

Tarleton  in  his  "  History  of  the  Southern  Campaign,  1780  and 
1781,"  page  159,  says,  "Earl  Cornwallis  moved  forward  as  soon 
as  the  legion  under  Major  Hanger  joined  him.  A  party  of  militia 
fired  at  the  advanced  dragoons  and  light  infantry  as  they  entered 
the  town,  and  a  more  considerable  body  appeared  drawn  up  near 
the  court-house.  The  conduct  of  the  Americans  created  suspi- 
cion in  the  British  ;  an  ambuscade  was  apprehended  by  the  light 
troops,  who  moved  forward  for  some  time  with  great  circumspec- 
tion ;  a  charge  of  cavalry  under  Major  Hanger  dissipated  this  ill- 
grounded  jealousy,  and  totally  dispersed  the  militia.  The  pursuit 
lasted  some  time,  and  about  thirty  of  the  enemy  were  killed  and 
taken. 

"  The  King's  troops  did  not  come  out  of  this  skirmish  unhurt ; 
Major  Hanger,  and  Captains  Campbell  and  McDonald  were 
wounded,  and  twelve  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  were 
killed  and  wounded." 

The  position  of  Charlotte,  however  favorable  to  the  Americans, 
was  anything  but  agreeable  to  the  Earl  Cornwallis.  He  pos- 
sessed in  the  adjacent  country  a  few  friends  and  timid  depend- 
ents. The  panic  that  had  gone  over  South  Carolina  after  the 
success  of  the  British  in  that  State,  and  had  driven  multitudes  to 


CHARLOTTE    AND     HER     RECOLLECTIONS.  505 

"  take  protection,"  in  despair  of  self-preservation,  had  in  some 
degree  extended  itself  to  North  Carolina  ;  and  on  the  approach  of 
the  enemy,  some  families  "  took  protection  "  from  the  spoliations 
of  the  foraging  parties. 

But  notwithstanding  the  terror  of  his  arms,  his  lordship  found 
his  situation  in  Charlotte,  which  became  his  head-quarters  on  the 
26th  of  September,  to  be  distressing  and  humiliating.  The  reasons 
given  by  Tarleton  are  both  striking  and  sufficient.  He  says, 
"  Charlotte  town  afforded  some  conveniences  blended  with  great 
disadvantages.  The  mills  in  its  neighborhood  were  supposed  of 
sufficient  consequenee  to  render  it  for  the  present  an  eligible  posi- 
tion, and  in  future  a  necessary  post  when  the  army  advanced. 
But  the  aptness  of  its  intermediate  situation  between  Camden  and 
Salisbury,  and  the  quantity  of  its  mills,  did  not  counterbalance  its 
defects." 

"  It  was  evident,  and  had  been  frequently  mentioned  to  the 
king's  officers,  that  the  counties  of  Mecklenburg  and  Rohan" 
(Rowan)  "were  more  hostile  to  England  than  any  others  in  America. 
The  vigilance  and  animosity  of  these  surrounding  districts  checked 
the  exertions  of  the  well-affected,  and  totally  destroyed  all  com- 
munication between  the  king's  troops  and  the  loyalists  in  other 
parts  of  the  province.  No  British  commander  could  obtain  any 
information  in  that  position  which  would  facilitate  his  designs,  or 
guide  his  future  conduct." 

A  higher  encomium  of  the  principles  and  patriotism  of  the  Irish, 
or  rather  Scotch-Irish,  settlements  in  Carolina  could  not  have  been 
given.  It  is  the  testimony  of  an  eye-witness,  and  he  an  inveterate 
enemy,  with  the  best  means  of  information.  Of  the  town  and  its 
environs,  he  goes  on  to  say — "  the  town  and  its  environs  abounded 
with  inveterate  enemies.  The  plantations  in  the  neighborhood 
were  small  and  uncultivated  ;  the  road  narrow  and  crossed  in  every 
direction ;  and  the  whole  face  of  the  country  covered  with  close 
and  thick  woods.  In  addition  to  these  disadvantages,  no  estimation 
could  be  made  of  the  sentiments  of  half  the  inhabitants  of  North 
Carolina,  whilst  the  royal  army  remained  at  Charlotte." 

After  speaking  of  the  almost  entire  impossibility  of  obtaining 
correct  information  concerning  the  movements  of  the  Governor 
and  Assembly, — the  preparations  of  the  militia. — and  the  forces 
and  designs  of  the  Continentals,  Tarleton  dwells  at  large  upon  the 
difficulty  of  obtaining  provisions  while  he  remained  in  Charlotte. 
The  same  difficulty,  though  not  always  to  the  same  degree,  at- 
tended the  British  army  during  the  whole  campaign  in  North  Caro- 


506  SKETCHES   OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

lina.  He  says — "  the  foraging  parties  were  every  day  harassed  by 
the  inhabitants,  who  did  not  remain  at  home  to  receive  payment  for 
the  product  of  their  plantations,  but  generally  fired  from  covert 
places,  to  annoy  the  British  detachments.  Ineffectual  attempts 
were  made  upon  convoys  coming  from  Camden,  and  the  intermediate 
post  at  Blair's  Mill — but  individuals  with  expresses  were  frequently 
murdered.  An  attack  was  directed  against  the  piquet  at  Polk's 
Mill,  two  miles  from  the  town.  The  Americans  were  gallantly 
received  by  Lieut.  Guy  on,  of  the  23d  regiment :  and  the  fire  of 
his  party,  from  a  loopholed  building  adjoining  the  mill,  repulsed 
the  assailants." 

"Notwithstanding  the  different  checks  and  losses  sustained  by  the 
militia  of  the  district,  they  continued  their  hostilities  with  unwea- 
ried perseverance  ;  and  the  British  troops  were  so  effectually  block- 
aded in  their  present  position,  that  very  few  out  of  a  great  many 
messengers  could  reach  Charlottetown,  in  the  beginning  of  Octo- 
ber, to  give  intelligence  of  Ferguson's  situation." 

The  repulse  at  Mclntire's  is  a  good  illustration,  of  what  Tarlton 
says  in  these  quotations.  The  commander  in  Charlotte  having 
heard  of  the  abundant  supply  of  grain  and  fodder  that  might  be 
obtained  from  the  rebel  neighborhood,  some  seven  miles  from 
Charlotte,  on  the  road  to  Beattie's  Ford,  sends  out  a  force  sufficient, 
as  was  supposed,  to  overawe  the  neighborhood,  accompanied  with 
a  sufficient  train  of  baggage  wagons  to  bring  in  the  necessary  sup- 
plies. A  lad,  who  was  ploughing  a  field  by  the  road  side,  upon 
seeing  the  advance  of  the  soldiers,  leaves  his  plough,  mounts  his 
horse  and  gallops  through  bye-paths  to  give  notice  to  the  inhabit- 
ants that  a  foraging  party  was  out.  They,  of  course,  fled  and 
spread  the  alarm,  riding  away  their  horses,  and  hiding  or  removing 
their  most  valuable  effects. 

The  family  at  Mr.  Mclntire's  had  just  time  to  escape  ;  the  men 
in  the  fields  armed  themselves  and  took  to  the  woods ;  and  the 
women  and  servants  rode  off  towards  the  residences  of  neighbors, 
whose  houses  were  supposed  to  be  out  of  the  track  of  this  armed 
force  ;  the  house  and  all  the  property  were  left  to  the  mercy  of  the 
foragers. 

The  neighboring  men,  conjecturing  the  object  of  the  party,  ral- 
lied around  Mclntire's  farm,  according  to  the  rules  which  had  been 
voluntarily  adopted,  that  neighbors  would  help  each  other  ;  and 
about  a  dozen  of  them,  armed  with  rifles  and  divided  into  com- 
panies of  two,  lay  concealed  in  the  woods  in  sight  of  the  house, 
not  far  from  each  other. 


CHARLOTTE  AND  HER  RECOLLECTIONS.  507 

While  lying  there,  they  witnessed  the  advance  of  the  British, — 
saw  them  pause  on  the  brow  of  the  hill  near  the  branch  and  recon- 
noitre, and  then  slowly  advance  to  the  house.  The  dragoons  dis- 
mounted and  fastened  their  horses,  and  the  work  of  plunder  began. 
Harnessing  some  of  their  horses  to  the  farm  wagons  they  began  to 
load  them  with  forage  ;  and  when  the  baggage  wagons  arrived  they 
proceeded  to  load  them  with  corn  and  oats.  While  this  was  doing 
the  soldiers  were  running  down  and  catching  the  poultry  in  the 
yard,  and  killing  pigs  and  calves.  By  accident  some  of  them  over- 
set the  beehives  ranged  by  the  garden  fence,  and  the  enraged  in- 
sects fell  in  fury  upon  the  soldiery.  The  scene  became  one  of 
uproar  and  boisterous  merriment.  The  commander  of  the  forces, 
a  portly  florid  Englishman,  stood  in  the  door  with  one  hand  on  each 
post,  enjoying  the  scene  of  plunder,  and  laughing  at  the  antics  of 
the  soldiers  discomfitted  by  the  bees. 

The  owner  and  his  neighbors  had  approached  within  rifle  shot  of 
the  house,  under  cover  of  the  woods,  and  were  exasperated  wit- 
nesses of  the  merry  plunder  of  the  foragers.  At  length  one  of 
them  cried  out — "  Boys,  I  can't  stand  this — I  take  the  captain. 
Every  one  choose  his  man  and  look  to  yourselves."  Quick  as  his 
word,  the  sharp  crack  of  his  rifle  was  heard  ;  and  the  captain  fell 
from  the  doorway.  The  rifles  of  the  other  eleven  answered  in 
quick  succession ;  and  nine  men  and  two  horses  lay  upon  the 
ground. 

The  trumpet  sounded  a  recall ;  and  the  dragoons  hastened  to 
form  a  line.  The  assailants  shifted  their  position,  and  from  another 
direction,  from  a  skirt  of  woods,  poured  in  another  straggling  fire, 
with  fatal  accuracy.  The  dragoons  began  a  pursuit,  and  set  on  the 
dogs  ;  but  soon  a  fire  from  another  direction  alarmed  them,  lest 
they  were  surrounded.  The  dogs  came  on  the  trail  of  these  re- 
treating men,  and  the  leading  one  sprung  upon  the  heels  of  a  man 
who  had  just  discharged  his  rifle.  A  pistol-shot  laid  him  dead  ; 
and  the  other  dogs,  coming  up  to  him,  paused,  gave  a  howl,  and 
returned.  The  alarm  became  general,  and  the  troops  hastened 
their  retreat,  attempting  to  carry  off  the  loaded  wagons.  But  the 
more  distant  neighbors  had  now  rallied,  and  the  woods  echoed  on 
all  sides  with  the  rifles  and  guns  of  concealed  enemies.  The  lead- 
ing horses  of  the  wagons  were  some  of  them  shot  down  before  they 
ascended  the  hill  by  the  branch,  and  the  road  was  blocked  up  ;  and 
the  retreat  became  a  scene  of  confusion  in  spite  of  the  discipline  of 
the  British  soldiers,  who  drew  up  in  battle  array  and  offered  fight 
to  the  invisible  enemy  that  only  changed  their  ground  and  renewed 


508  SKETCHES   OF   NORTH   CAROLINA. 

their  fire.  In  full  belief  that  they  were  assailed  by  a  numerous 
foe,  and  disappointed  of  their  forage,  they  returned  to  camp — 
swearing  that  every  bush  on  the  road  concealed  a  rebel. 

The  men  that  brought  about  this  retreat  were  well  known  in 
Mecklenburg.  One  of  them,  whose  residence  was  not  far  from 
the  spot,  now  lies  in  the  burying-ground  in  Charlotte,  with  the 
following  inscription  on  the  marble  slab  that  covers  his  grave 

Sacred 
To  the 

MEMORY  OF 

MAJOR  GENERAL  GEORGE  GRAHAM, 

WHO  DIED 

On  the  29th  of  March,  1826, 
in  the  68th  year  of  his  age. 


He  lived  more  than  half  a  century  in  the  vicinity  of 
This  place,  and  was  a  zealous  and  active  defender  of  his 
country's  rights,  - 

in  the 

REVOLUTIONARY  WAR, 

and  one  of  the  gallant  twelve  who  dared  to  attack, 

and  actually  drove  400  British  troops  at  Mclntire's 

7  miles  North  of  Charlotte, 

on  the  3d  of  October,  1750. 

george  graham  filled  many  high  and  responsible 

Public  Trusts, 

the  duties  of  which  he  discharged  with  fidelity. 

He  was  the  people's  friend,  not  their  fetterer, 

and  uniformly  engaged  the 

unlimited  confidence 

and  respect  of  his 

FELLOW  CITIZENS. 

This  George  Graham  is  the  same  person  that  is  mentioned  by 
General  Joseph  Graham,  as  his  brother  that  was  sent  to  Salisbury 
by  the  committee  of  Mecklenburg,  to  bring  the  two  delinquents 
to  justice.  The  concurrent  voice  of  tradition  is  that  he  merited 
all  that  is  said  of  him  on  his  tomb  stone. 

It  has  been  thought  by  some  that  Tarleton,  in  his  Memoirs  of  the 
Southern  Campaigns,  was  more  unfavorable  to  Lord  Cornwallis  than 
justice  would  require  ;  and  while  he  had  no  inducement  to  favor 
in  any  way  the  American  cause,  he  magnified  his  lordship's  blun- 
ders and  misfortunes.  Another  English  writer,  who  was  a  pro- 
fessed friend  of  Cornwallis,  and  was  surgeon  in  his  army  through 
the  whole  southern  war,  and  had  the  best  means  of  information, 
giving  an  account  of  the  taking  of    Charlotte,  thus  writes  : — 


CHARLOTTE  AND  HER  RECOLLECTIONS.  509 

•'*'  And  Charlotte  was  taken  possession  of  after  a  slight  resistance 
by  the  militia,  towards  the  end  of  September.  At  this  period, 
Major  Hanger  commanded  the  legion,  Colonel  Tarleton  being  ill. 
In  the  centre  of  Charlotte,  intersecting  the  two  principal  streets, 
stood  a  large  brick  building,  the  upper  part  being  the  Court-House, 
and  the  lower  part  the  Market-House.  Behind  the  shambles,  a 
few  Americans  on  horseback  had  placed  themselves.  The  legion 
was  ordered  to  drive  them  off ;  but  upon  receving  a  fire  from  be- 
hind the  stalls,  this  corps  fell  back.  Lord  Cornwallis  rode  up  in 
person  and  made  use  of  these  words  :  '  Legion,  remember  you 
have  everything  to  lose  but  nothing  to  gain ,-'  alluding,  it  is  sup- 
posed, to  the  former  reputation  of  this  corps.  Webster's  brigade 
moved  on,  drove  the  Americans  from  behind  the  Court-House,  the 
legion  then  pursued  them  ;  but  the  whole  of  the  British  army  was 
actually  kept  at  bay  for  some  minutes,  by  a  few  mounted  Ameri- 
cans, not  exceeding  twenty  in  number." — Steadmaris  History  of 
the  American  War,  vol.  ii.,p.  217. 

This  writer  then  goes  on  to  describe  the  difficulties  of  obtaining 
provisions,  much  in  the  same  terms  as  Tarleton  has  done  in  the 
preceding  quotations  ;  and  adds,  in  a  copious  note,  remarks,  of 
which  the  following  are  a  part :  "In  Colonel  Polk's  mill  were 
found  28,000,  and  a  quantity  of  wheat.  There  were  several  large 
well  cultivated  farms  in  the  neighborhood  of  Charlotte.  An  abun- 
dance of  cattle,  few  sheep  ;  the  cattle  mostly  milch  cows,  or  cows 
with  calf,  which,  at  that  season  of  the  year,  was  the  best  beef. 
When  the  army  was  at  Charlotte,  we  killed,  upon  average,  100 
head  per  day.  The  leanness  of  the  cattle  will  account  for  the 
numbers  killed  each  day.  In  one  day  no  less  than  37  cows  in 
calf." 

"  At  this  period  the  Royal  army  was  supported  by  Lord  Raw- 
don's  moving  with  one  half  of  the  army  one  day,  and  Col.  Webster 
with  the  other  half  the  next  day,  as  a  covering  party  to  protect  the 
foraging  parties  and  cattle  drivers."  It  is  not  improbable  the  affair 
at  Mclntire's  compelled  them  to  move  with  greater  forces  when 
they  wished  to  gather  forage.  The  writer  then  proceeds  to  state, 
that  the  reason  the  southern  sections  of  the  country  suffered  so  much 
in  the  campaign  was,  that  so  much  of  their  wealth  lay  in  cattle, 
and  so  much  of  their  work  in  the  lower  sections  was  done  by 
negroes. 

The  British  army  lay  encamped,  the  short  time  they  passed  at 
Charlotte,  on  a  plain,  south  of  the  town,  about  midway  to  the  place 
where  the  court  was  first  held,  then  occupied  by  Mr.  Thomas 


510  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

Spratt,  now  by  Major  Morrow,  and  on  the  right  hand  of  the  road 
from  the  village ;  and  the  general's  head-quarters,  a  white  house 
on  the  southeast  corner  from  the  old  Court-House,  now  the  second 
house  from  the  corner. 

From  all  these  circumstances  combined,  as  mentioned  by  the 
English  writers,  and  handed  down  by  tradition,  we  cease  to  won- 
der that  Cornwallis  called  Charlotte  the  "  hornets'  nest,"  and  that, 
unwilling  to  pay  for  supplies  with  so  much  English  '"  blood,"  after 
the  fatal  battle  of  King's  Mountain  became  known  to  him,  his 
lordship  determined  to  leave  this  vexatious  post.  To  prevent  an- 
noyance, he  chose  to  depart  suddenly,  and  in  the  night.  Mr. 
McCafferty,  a  man  of  wealth  and  standing,  a  Scotchman,  and  re- 
sident in  Charlotte,  was  chosen  as  their  guide  to  lead  them  by  the 
upper  and  nearest  route  to  South  Carolina.  After  so  bewildering  the 
army  in  the  swamps,  that  much  of  their  baggage  was  lost,  he  con- 
trived to  escape,  and  leave  the  army  to  find  their  way  by  the  re- 
turning light  of  day. 

Colonel  Thomas  Polk,  so  favorably  mentioned  in  the  history  of 
the  declarations,  owned  property  in  and  around  Charlotte.  His 
mill  was  between  two  and  three  miles  south  of  the  village,  and  is 
now  called  Bissell's.  His  body  lies  interred  in  the  graveyard  of 
the  village.  Over  his  grave  and  that  of  his  wife  Susanna,  his  son 
William  Polk,  late  of  Raleigh,  erected  a  marble  slab,  a  memorial 
of  his  resting-place. 

The  Polk  family  came  early  to  Mecklenburg,  and  in  the  time 
of  the  Revolution  were  numerous,  and  some  of  them  very  wealthy. 
They  resided,  part  of  them,  in  the  bounds  of  Sugar  Creek  congre- 
gation ;  and  part  of  them  in  Providence.  Among  them  was  Ezekiel 
Polk,  the  grandfather  of  James  K.  Polk,  President  of  the  United 
States.  The  descendants  have  all  emigrated  from  the  county, 
mostly  to  Tennessee,  or  States  further  south. 

Thomas  Spratt,  at  whose  house  the  court  was  first  held,  is  said 
to  have  been  the  first  man  that  moved  his  family,  on  wheels,  across 
the  Yadkin.  He  stopped  first  on  the  Rocky  River ;  but  being 
disturbed  by  the  Indians  he  removed  to  the  spot,  near  to  Charlotte, 
where  he  died,  and  lies  buried  in  the  angle  of  the  woods,  near  his 
dwelling.  There  appears  to  have  been  at  this  place  a  burying- 
ground  as  old  as  that  of  Sugar  Creek,  now  entirely  grown  over 
with  trees.  The  forests  here,  as  elsewhere,  seem  to  strive  to  eradi- 
cate the  footsteps  of  man,  and  resume  their  dominion. 

Garden,  in  his  anecdotes  of  the  American  Revolution,  says  : — 
"  Nor  were  the  ladies  in  Mecklenburg  in  any  degree  inferior  in 


CHARLOTTE  AND  HER  RECOLLECTIONS.  511 

enthusiasm  to  the  male  population.  I  find  in  the  South  Carolina 
and  American  General  Gazette,  from  the  2d  to  the  9th  of  Febru- 
ary, the  following  paragraph  : — '  The  young  ladies  of  the  best 
families  of  Mecklenburg  county,  North  Carolina,  have  entered 
into  a  voluntary  association  that  they  will  not  receive  the  addresses 
of  any  young  gentleman  at  that  place,  except  the  brave  volunteers 
who  served  in  the  expedition  to  South  Carolina,  and  assisted  in 
subduing  the  Scovalite  insurgents.  The  ladies  being  of  opinion 
that  such  persons  as  stay  loitering  at  home,  when  the  important 
calls  of  the  country  demand  their  military  services  abroad,  must 
certainly  be  destitute  of  that  nobleness  of  sentiment,  that  brave, 
manly  spirit  which  would  qualify  them  to  be  the  defenders  and 
guardians  of  the  fair  sex.' 

"  The  ladies  of  the  adjoining  county  of  Rowan    have  desired 
the  plan  of  a  similar  association  to  be  drawn  up  and  prepared  for 


512  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 

EFFORTS    TO    PROMOTE    EDUCATION. 

"  Many  a  day  have  I  worked  with  these  hands  to  help  Charley 

C through  college,"  said  old  Mrs.  Skillington  exultingly,  and 

somewhat  mournfully,  while  her  brother  was  running  his  career  in 
Philadelphia,  before  his  removal  to  Kentucky  to  commence  his 
labors  as  pioneer  of  medical  schools  in  the  West,  as  his  father  had 
been  in  the  settlement  of  Cabarrus  county,  North  Carolina  ;  "many 
a  day  have  I  worked  for  Charley  when  we  lived  there,"  pointing 
to  a  log  framed  house,  the  shell  of  which  now  stands  defying 
the  wind  and  storm,  and  wasting  of  desertion,  about  a  rifle-shot 
west  of  Poplar  Tent  meeting-house  ;  "  and  I  don't  mind  the 
work,  for  we  all  liked  Charley." 

The  old  lady  unconsciously  revealed  the  sentiments  of  hundreds 
of  mothers  and  sisters  of  the  Scotch-Irish  and  Scotch  settlers  in 
Virginia  and  the  Carolinas.  An  education, — knowledge  of  things 
human  and  divine,  they  prized  beyond  all  price  in  their  leaders  and 
teachers  ;  and  craved  its  possession  for  their  husbands,  and  bro- 
thers, and  sons.  The  Spartan  mothers  gloried  in  the  bravery  of 
their  husbands  and  fathers,  and  demanded  it  in  their  sons.  "  Bring 
me  this,  or  be  brought  back  upon  it,"  said  one,  as  she  gave  her  son 
a  shield  to  go  out  to  battle.  These  Presbyterian  mothers  gloried 
in  the  enterprise,  and  religion,  and  knowledge,  and  purity  of  their 
husbands  and  children,  and  would  forego  comforts  and  endure 
toil  that  their  sons  might  be  well  instructed,  enterprising  men. 

When  we  look  over  the  beautiful  farms  and  plantations  these 
early  settlers  becpieathed  to  their  children,  it  might  seem  as  if  large 
possessions  were  the  inviting  cause  and  principal  object  of  the 
emigrants  to  this  wilderness.  Undoubtedly  the  desire  of  posses- 
sion of  property  had  its  influence  with  all ;  and  why  should  not 
honest,  energetic  poor  people  desire  a  place  to  enjoy  their  labor, 
not  as  tenants  at  will,  but  as  fee-simple  owners  of  the  soil  by  the 
best  of  rights  ?  and  it  is  probable  it  was  the  ruling  feeling  of  some, 
who  could  not  get  above  the  craving  desire  of  human  nature,  and 
knew  nothing  belter  than  wealth.  But  with  many,  and  they  the 
influential  men  and  women,  the  desire  of  knowledge  was  cherished 


EFFORTS  TO  PROMOTE  EDUCATION.  513 

before  a  competence  was  obtained,  or  the  labors  of  a  first  settle- 
ment overcome.  Almost  invariably  as  soon  as  a  neighborhood 
was  settled,  preparations  were  made  for  the  preaching  of  the  gos- 
pel by  a  regular  stated  pastor  ;  and  wherever  a  pastor  was  lo- 
cated, in  that  congregation  there  was  a  classical  school, — as  in 
Sugar  Creek,  Poplar  Tent,  Centre,  Bethany,  Buffalo,  Thyatira, 
Grove,  Wilmington,  and  the  churches  occupied  by  Pattillo  in 
Orange  and  Granville. 

Of  all  these,  the  one  in  the  bounds  of  Sugar  Creek  appears  to 
have  been  the  oldest.  The  time  of  its  commencement  is  not  cer- 
tainly known  ;  but  it  appears  to  have  been  in  successful  operation 
under  Mr.  Joseph  Alexander,  who  for  a  time  supplied  the  congre- 
gation after  the  death  of  Mr.  Craighead  in  1766,  an  eminent 
teacher  and  preacher,  whose  labors  for  a  short  time  in  North 
Carolina,  and  for  a  long  period  in  South  Carolina,  entitled  him  to 
a  kind  remembrance  by  the  churches.  Vigorous  efforts  were  made 
to  elevate  this  school  to  the  rank  and  usefulness  of  a  college  ;  and 
about  the  year  1770,  a  charter  was  obtained  from  the  Colonial 
Legislature,  conferring  the  title  and  privileges,  without  any  endow- 
ment from  the  Province,  under  the  name  of  Queen's  Museum. 
This  charter  was  set  aside  by  the  king  and  council,  and  amended, 
and  a  second  time  granted  by  the  Colonial  Legislature  in  1771,  and 
a  second  time  repealed  by  the  king,  by  proclamation.  "And,"  says 
a  writer  in  the  Magazine  of  the  University  of  North  Carolina, 
"  why  was  this  ?  An  easy  answer  is  found  in  the  third  section  of 
the  act  for  incroporating  the  school  at  Newbern,  and  afterwards 
engrafted  upon  the  act  incorporating  the  Edenton  Academy 
(which  were  the  only  two  schools  incorporated  before  Queen's 
College),  compared  with  the  character  of  the  leading  men  of 
Mecklenburg,  and  the  fact  that  several  of  the  trustees  of  the  New 
College  were  Presbyterian  ministers.  No  compliments  to  his 
queen  could  render  whigs  in  politics,  and  Presbyterians  in  religion, 
acceptable  to  George  III.  A  college,  under  such  auspices,  was 
too  well  calculated  to  ensure  the  growth  of  the  numerous  demo- 
cracy." 

The  section  referred  to  in  the  charter  of  the  Newbern  school,  is 
in  these  words — "Provided  always,  that  no  person  shall  be  per- 
mitted to  be  master  of  said  school,  but  who  is  of  the  Established 
Church  of  England,  and  who,  at  the  recommendation  of  the  trus- 
tees or  directors,  or  the  majority  of  them,  shall  be  duly  licensed  by 
the  governor  or  commander-in-chief  for  the  time  being.'1'' 

Queen's  Museum  flourished  without  a  charter.     Its  hall  was 

33 


514  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

the  place  of  meeting  of  literary  societies,  and  political  clubs,  in 
the  times  preceding  the  Revolution.  The  king's  fears,  that  the 
college  would  be  a  fountain  of  republicanism,  were  realized  in  the 
institution,  and  probably  his  rejection  of  the  charter  much  hasten- 
ed, and  increased,  the  dreaded  evil.  The  debates,  preceding  the 
Mecklenburg  Declaration,  were  held  in  the  hall ;  and  every 
reader  can  judge  of  the  merits  of  that  famous  document. 

That  the  students  were  busily  engaged  in  literary  pursuits 
appears  from  the  following  document,  the  original  of  which  is  in 
the  hands  of  the  Rev.  Mr.  Adams  of  Third  Creek. 

"  The  Moderator  and  Members  of  Union  Society 
in  Queen's  Museum,  Charlotte,  to  all  whom  these  presents  may 
come,  with 

Peace  and  Safety. 

Be  it  hereby  certified  that  we  have  bestowed  upon 
James  McEwen  this  Diploma  in  testimony  of  his  having  been 
a  member  of  our  society,  and  of  his  having  through  the  whole 
time  of  our  connection  together  deported  himself  in  such  manner 
as  to  merit  our  full  approbation,  both  as  a  faithful  assistant  in 
school,  and  a  regular,  useful  member  of  society. 

"  Of  the  above  let  our  names  underwritten  be  a  witness. 
"  Given  in  Union  Society,  at  the "" 


stated  meeting  in  the  Hall  of 
Queen's  Museum,  Charlotte, 


Jno.  Kerr,  Moderator. 
Handy  Harris,  Clerk. 


on  Friday,  27th   of  Septem-  )►     Wm.  Humphrey,  \ 

Thos.  Henderson,  >  Memb's. 


ber,  in  the  year  of  our  Lord 
one  thousand  seven  hundred 
and  seventy-six." 


Fr'cis.  Cummins,  ) 


After  the  Revolution  had  commenced,  the  Legislature  of  North 
Carolina  granted  a  charter  to  this  institution  under  the  name  of 
Liberty  Hall  Academy!.  The  preamble  of  an  act  for  incorporating 
the  president  and  trustees,  which  was  passed  April,  1777,  is  as 
follows  :  "  Whereas  the  proper  education  of  youth  in  this  infant 
country  is  highly  necessary,  and  would  answer  the  most  valuable 
and  beneficial  purposes  to  this  State  and  the  good  people  thereof ; 
and  whereas  a  very  promising  experiment  hath  been  made  at  a 
seminary  in  the  county  of  Mecklenburg,  and  a  number  of  youths 
there  taught  have  made  great  advancements  in  the  knowledge  of 
the  learned  languages,  and  in  the  rudiments  of  the  arts  and 
sciences,  in  the  course  of  a  regular  and  finished  education,  which 
they  have  since  completed  at  various  colleges  in  different  parts  of 


EFFORTS    TO     PROMOTE    EDUCATION.  515 

America ;  and  whereas  the  seminary  aforesaid,  and  the  several 
teachers  who  have  successfully  taught  and  presided  therein,  have 
hitherto  been  almost  wholly  supported  by  private  subscriptions  ; 
an  order  therefore  that  said  subscriptions  and  other  gratuities  may 
be  legally  possessed  and  duly  applied,  and  the  said  seminary  by 
the  name  of  Liberty  Hall  may  become  more  extensively  and 
generally  useful  for  the  encouragement  of  liberal  knowledge  in 
languages,  arts,  and  sciences,  and  for  diffusing  the  great  advanta- 
ges of  education  upon  more  liberal,  easy,  and  general  terms ;" 
therefore,  &c. 

The  following  persons  were  named  trustees,  viz.  : — Isaac  Alex- 
ander, M.D.,  president,  Thomas  Polk,  Thomas  Neal,  Abraham 
Alexander,  Waightstill  Avery,  Ephraim  Brevard,  M.D.,  John 
•Simpson,  Adlai  Osborne,  John  McKnitt  Alexander,  and  the  Rev. 
Messrs.  David  Caldwell,  James  Edmonds,  Thomas  Reese, 
Samuel  E.  MoCorkle,  Thomas  Harris  McCaule,  and  James  Hall. 

The  academy  received  no  funds  from  the  State,  and  no  further 
patronage  than  this  charter.  It  was  entirely  under  the  direction  of 
Presbyterians,  and  under  the  supervision  of  Orange  Presbytery. 
At  the  time  the  charter  was  obtained  the  institution  was  under  the 
■care  of  Dr.  Isaac  V.  Alexander,  who  continued  to  preside  over  it 
till  some  time  in  the  year  1778, 

From  a  manuscript  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  drawn 
up  by  Adlai  Osborne,  one  of  the  trustees,  it  appears  the  first  meet- 
ing of  the  trustees  was  held  in  Charlotte,  January  3d,  1778,  At 
this  meeting,  Isaac  Alexander,  M,D.,  Ephraim  Brevard,  M.D., 
•and  Rev.  Thomas  Harris  McCaule  were  appointed  a  committee  to 
frame  a  system  of  laws  for  the  government  of  the  academy ;  and 
also  to  purchase  the  Jots  and  improvements  belonging  to  Colonel 
Thomas  Polk,  for  which  they  were  to  pay  him  £920  ;  and  prepa- 
rations were  made  to  build  an  additional  frame-house.  The  salary 
of  the  president  was  fixed  at  £195,  to  be  occasionally  increased, 
•according  to  the  prices  of  provisions,  which  were  then  greatly 
fluctuating,  owing  to  the  war. 

In  the  month  of  April,  1778,  the  system  of  laws  drawn  up  by 
the  committee  was  adopted  without  any  material  alteration.  The 
•course  of  study  marked  out  was  similar  to  that  prescribed  for  the 
University  of  North  Carolina,  though  somewhat  more  limited. 
Overtures  were  made  to  Rev,  Alexander  McWhorter,  of  New 
Jersey,  so  favorably  known  to  the  churches,  by  his  visit  in  1764 
and  '5,  with  the  Rev,  Elihu  Spencer,  and  also  by  a  more  recent 
visit  made  to  the  Southern  country,  to  encourage  the  inhabitants 


516  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

in  the  cause  of  Independence,  to  succeed  Dr.  Alexander  in  the 
presidency. 

There  is  still  extant  a  certificate  of  scholarship  granted  by  the 
Board,  as  the  right  of  granting  degrees  had  not  been  given  them, 
preserved  by  John  H.  Graham,  at  Vesuvius  Furnace,  in  Lincoln 
county,  the  residence  of  General  Graham. 

State  of  North  Carolina,      ) 
Mecklenburg  county.  $ 

"  This  is  to  certify  that,  Mr.  John  Graham  hath  been  a  student 
in  the  Academy  of  Liberty  Hall  in  the  State  and  county  above 
mentioned,  the  space  of  four  years  preceding  the  date  hereof,  that 
his  whole  deportment  during  his  residence  there  was  perfectly 
regular ;  that  he  prosecuted  his  studies  with  diligence,  and  made 
such  acquisitions  both  in  the  languages  and  scientific  learning  as 
gave  entire  satisfaction  to  his  teacher — And  he  is  hereby  recom- 
mended to  the  friendly  notice  and  regard  of  all  lovers  of  Religion 
and  Literature  wherever  he  comes.  In  Testimony  of  which  this 
is  given  at  Liberty  Hall,  this  22d  of  November,  1778,  and 
signed  by  Isaac  V.  Alexander,  President. 

Ephraim  Brevard,       )  ^     . 
.  k  i  trustees. 

Abraham  Alexander,  ) 

Dr.  M'Whorter  having,  on  account  of  the  deranged  state  of  his 
affairs,  declined  accepting  the  Presidency,  Mr.  Robert  Brownfield 
was  appointed,  and  agreed  to  accept  for  one  year.  The  next  year 
the  invitation  to  Dr.  M'Whorter  was  renewed,  and  a  committee 
consisting  of  Rev.  Samuel  E.  M'Corkle  and  Dr.  Brevard  was  sent 
to  New  Jersey  to  wait  upon  him  ;  and  in  the  event  of  his  still  de- 
clining, to  consult  Dr.  Witherspoon  and  Professor  Houston,  of 
Princeton  College,  respecting  some  other  fit  person  for  the  office, 
to  whom  the  Presidency  should  be  offered.  In  compliance  with 
this  second  invitation  Dr.  M'Whorter  removed  to  Charlotte.  But, 
owing  to  the  invasion  of  the  Carolinas,  1780,  the  operations  of  the 
Academy  were  suspended  and  not  resumed  during  the  war.  After 
a  short  stay  in  Carolina,  Dr.  M'Whorter  returned  to  New  Jersey. 

During  the  occupation  of  Charlotte  by  the  forces  of  Cornwallis, 
Liberty  Hall,  which  stood  upon  the  ground  now  occupied  by  the 
dwelling  house  of  Mr.  Julius  Alexander,  was  used  as  a  hospital, 
and  greatly  defaced  and  injured.  The  numerous  graves  in  the  rear 
of  the  Academy,  upon  the  departure  of  the  British  army,  was  one 
evidence  of  their  great  loss  in  this  hostile  county. 


EFFORTS    TO     PROMOTE    EDUCATION.  517 

After  the  peace,  Mr.  Thomas  Henderson,  who  had  been  edu- 
cated at  the  Academy,  set  up  a  High  School,  which  he  carried 
on  with  great  reputation  for  a  number  of  years.  And  from  that 
day  to  this  Charlotte  has  been  favored  with  academies  and  female 
seminaries.  But  the  pre-eminence  of  Liberty  Hall,  as  supplying 
the  place  of  a  college,  for  the  South,  was  transferred  to  Mount 
Zion  College,  in  Winnsborough,  South  Carolina,  over  which  the 
Rev.  Thomas  H.  McCaule,  the  pastor  of  Centre  congregation  for 
some  years,  and  trustee  of  Liberty  Hall,  presided.  This  was 
owing  to  the  liberality  and  activity  of  some  pious  persons  by  the 
name  of  Winn,  who  gave  liberally  in  the  cause  of  literature  and 
religion,  and  exerted  themselves  for  a  college,  while  the  friends  of 
literature,  and  science,  and  religion,  in  North  Carolina,  relaxed 
their  efforts  for  a  college  in  their  own  State. 

Mount  Zion  college,  in  Winnsborough,  over  which  the  popular 
McCaule  presided,  being  near,  and  the  college  in  Princeton,  New 
Jersey,  with  which  Professor  Houston  from  North  Carolina  was 
connected,  under  the  Presidents  Witherspoon  and  Smith,  had  so 
attracted  public  attention,  the  Presbyterians  of  North  Carolina 
made  no  effort  for  a  college  under  their  own  care  and  patronage, 
for  many  years.  In  this  they  miscalculated  more  than  in  any  other 
matter  of  importance  in  which  they  were  called  to  act.  Whatever 
was  the  motive,  the  event  shows  the  mistake. 

Classical  schools  of  a  high  order  were  numerous  after  the  Re- 
volutionary war,  under  the  direction  of  Presbyterian  clergymen. 
The  high  school  in  Charlotte  has  been  continued,  in  some,  form, 
till  the  present  time.  Dr.  Caldwell  continued  his  in  Guilford,  with 
an  interruption  during  the  war,  till  his  death.  Dr.  McCorkle  had 
a  flourishing  school  in  Rowan,  which  was  continued  in  Salisbury. 
Poplar  Tent  has  been  favored  with  one  from  the  time  of  the  Revo- 
lution till  near  the  close  of  Dr.  Robinson's  life,  with  some  inter- 
mission. Rocky  River  had  a  famous  one  under  Dr.  Wilson  ;  and 
Bethany  under  Dr.  Hall.  Sugar  Creek  enjoyed  one  for  some  time 
under  Caldwell.  There  was  a  flourishing  one  in  Chatham  under 
the  Rev.  William  Bingham,  and  one  in  Burke.  Providence  has 
been  particularly  favored,  as'  also  Fayetteville,  and  the  Grove,  in 
Duplin  county,  in  all  which  there  have  been  a  succession  of 
classical  teachers.  In  these,  classical  instruction  of  a  high  order 
was  imported,  both  before  and  since  the  establishment  of  the  Uni- 
versity. 

Common  schools  were  numerous.  Public  opinion  in  the  Pres- 
byterian settlements  demanded  that  all  children  should  be  taught 


518  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

to  read ;  and,  as  Dr.  McRee  tells  us,  not  to  be  able  to  repeat  the 
Shorter  Catechism  of  the  Westminster  Assembly  was  a  mark  of 
vulgarity  among  the  people  who  claimed  a  natural  equality.  From 
the  great  efforts  made  by  Presbyterian  pastors  and  missionaries  in 
establishing  schools  and  promoting  education  among  the  people  at 
large,  and  from  the  deep  conviction  of  the  importance  of  some  de- 
gree of  education  impressed  upon  the  hearts  of  Presbyterian 
families,  it  came  'to  be  the  fact,  that  in  the  bounds  of  the  original 
Presbyterian  settlements  in  North  Carolina,  very  few  persons 
grew  up  unable  to  read  intelligibly.  By  the  change  wrought  in 
the  population  of  some  sections  by  emigration  to  the  west  and 
south,  and  the  immigration  of  other  families  differently  disposed 
on  the  subject  of  religion  and  education,  a  greater  proportion  are 
now  unable  to  read  than  in  the  commencement  of  this  century. 
This  is  believed  to  be  the  fact,  though  there  are  no  certain 
statistics  that  will  completely  'establish  it,  from  want  of  returns 
duly  made  by  authority  the  latter  part  of  last  century.  Many  a 
parent  that  felt  the  necessity  of  his  child's  being  able  to  repeat  the 
Catechism  when  young,  would  make  efforts  for  his  being  taught  to 
read  he  never  would  have  thought  of  making  but  for  that  necessity. 
The  religious  feeling  is  the  most  friendly  to  education  in  all  cir- 
cumstances, and  most  diffusive  of  its  benefits. 

Since  the  establishment  of  the  university  of  the  State,  the  pre- 
ponderance of  classical  schools  has  not  been  so  entirely  in  the 
Presbyterian  church ;  though  they  are  undoubtedly  far  ahead  in 
the  rejigious  and  patriotic  work  of  training  the  youth  of  the  coun- 
try to  a  high  degree  of  science  and  literature. 

Besides  the  numerous  classical  schools  in  different  parts  of  the 
church,  the  Presbyterians  took  up  the  matte?  with  renewed  vigor 
a  few  years  ago,  and  each  of  the  three  Presbyteries,  into  which 
the  State  is  divided,  made  successful  efforts  to  establish  literary 
institutions  of  a  high  order.  Each  of  these  demands  some  particu- 
lar notice. 

First,  the  Caldwell  Institute.  In  the  spring  of  1833,  Orange 
Presbytery  appointed  the  Rev.  Messrs.  A.  Wilson,  Harding,  Russell, 
Goodrich,  Graham  ;  and  elders,  Messrs.  D.  Atkinson  and  Sneed,  "  a 
committee  to  inquire  into  the  expediency  of  altering,  and  if  expedi- 
ent, what  alterations  are  necessary  in  the  mode  of  preparing  young 
men  for  the  gospel  ministry,  during  their  literary  course  of  study." 
In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  Rev.  Joseph  Caldwell,  D.D.,  President 
of  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  and  Mr.  Morrow,  were  added  to 
the  committee. 


EFFORTS  TO  PROMOTE  EDUCATION-  519 

The  report  of  this  committee,  as  amended  and  adopted,  was,  "  It 
is  recommended  to  the  Presbytery  to  proceed  without  delay  to  make 
such  provision  as  shall  be  necessary,  for  imparting  education  agree- 
ably to  their  own  views  of  the  subject,  in  its  essential  merits  and 
great  and  important  ends."  The  Presbytery  then  resolved,  "  1st. 
That  it  is  expedient  to  establish  a  literary  institution,  within  the 
bounds  of  Orange  Presbytery,  on  principles  such  as  to  secure  a 
strictly  Christian  Education. 

"  2d.  That  the  site  of  the  institution  shall  be  in  or  near  Greens- 
borough,  in  the  county  of  Guilford,  North  Carolina." 

The  institution  went  into  operation  on  the  1st  of  January,  1836, 
under  the  instruction  of  the  Rev.  Alexander  Wilson,  a  member  of 
Orange  Presbytery,  from  the  north  of  Ireland,  for  some  years  pastor 
of  Grassy  Creek  and  Nutbush,  and  Mr.  Silas  C.  Lindsay.  The 
number  of  students  so  increased  in  a  year  or  two,  that  a  third  profes- 
sor, Mr.  Gretter,  was  chosen.  In  less  than  six  years  from  its  com- 
mencement the  number  of  students  was  about  one  hundred  in  regular 
attendance,  and  these  from  all  parts  of  the  State. 

Article  4th,  section  1st,  in  the  plan  of  the  institution,  provides, 
"  The  Principal  of  the  Institution  shall  be  considered  as  sustaining 
the  pastoral  relations  to  all  the  students,  and  shall  be  required  to 
perform  towards  them  the  duties  appertaining  to  the  office.  It  shall 
be  the  duty  of  the  professors  to  afford  such  religious  instruction  as 
they  shall  deem  necessary,  but  it  shall  be  considered  indispensable 
that  portions  of  the  Bible  or  the  Evidences  of  Christianity,  together 
with  the  Westminster  Catechism,  be  studied  by  all  the  classes  on 
the  Sabbath." 

Section  2d  provides,  "  The  Greek  and  Latin  classics,  upon  an 
enlarged  plan,  shall  be  considered  as  forming  a  necessary  part  of  the 
course  of  study."  The  Trustees,  in  their  plan  of  education,  say, 
"  When  studied  in  connection  with  the  pure  and  mixed  mathema- 
tics, the  classics  constitute,  it  is  believed,  not  only  the  basis  of  solid 
learning  and  correct  taste,  but  furnish  also  to  young  men  emulous 
of  distinction,  the  very  best  means  of  mental  discipline."  Again 
they  say,  "  Indeed  the  grand  design  of  the  Presbytery  in  attempting 
the  establishment  of  Caldwell  Institute  is,  to  furnish  our  denomina- 
tion, and  the  friends  of  learning  generally,  with  a  truly  Christian 
education,  in  which  the  Bible  will  occupy  its  proper  place,  and  the 
paramount  claims  of  Christian  education  be  duly  and  fully  recog- 
nized." 

A  charter  was  obtained  in  1837,  by  which  the  right  of  appoint- 
i  ng  Trustees  is  vested  in  Orange  Presbytery.     The  number  of  Trus- 


520  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

tees  is  at  present  18,  one-third  of  which  go  out  each  year,  but  may 
be  re-elected.  The  attention  of  the  Faculty  and  Trustees  is  not  so 
much  turned  to  obtaining  students,  as  to  preventing  the  admission 
of  incorrigible  and  dissolute  boys.  They  utterly  decline  having  the 
institution  considered  as  a  place  to  which  rude  boys  may  be  sent 
"  to  be  broke  in."  They  decline  in  all  cases  receiving  such.  They 
design  the  institution  for  the  education  of  youth  of  good  habits, 
without  exposing  them  to  the  contamination  of  dissipated  youth,  and 
immoral  young  men. 

In  the  year  1845,  dissatisfaction  having  arisen  with  the  location., 
the  institute  was  removed  to  Hillsborough,  the  academy  in  that 
place,  much  enlarged,  being  appropriated  to  its  use.  In  its  new 
location  its  prospects  are  no  less  encouraging  than  at  Greens- 
borough. 

Every  day  the  students  attend  prayers  in  the  public  hall.  On 
Sabbath  the  students  attend  public  worship  in  the  appointed  place ; 
and  in  the  afternoon  are  engaged  in  Bible  Class  and  Catechetical 
Recitations.  All,  without  exception,  are  required  to  recite  parts  of 
the  Westminster  Shorter  Catechism  each  Sabbath.  The  greatest 
number  required  of  the  most  advanced,  at  one  time,  is  ten ;  of  the 
younger  students,  and  those  who  have  not  previously  studied  the 
catechism,  a  less  number  is  expected.  The  number  of  chapters  in 
the  Bible,  for  recitation,  varies  according  to  their  length,  and  sub- 
jects, and  other  circumstances. 

The  Institute  bears  the  name  of  the  first  president  of  the  univer- 
sity of  North  Carolina — Caldwell,  its  firm  friend,  from  its  inception, 
during  his  life.  He  strongly  urged  upon  his  brethren  a  return  to 
the  old-fashioned  discipline  and  studies  of  Presbyterian  classical 
schools,  the  course  somewhat  enlarged.  He  declared  that  it  was 
not  sectarian  for  denominations  to  have  denominational  schools ; 
that  religion  must  be  taught  by  somebody,  and  in  classical  acade- 
mies, but  one  denomination  could  be  engaged  in  a  single  school  to 
advantage.  In  these  sentiments  of  Dr.  Caldwell  the  community 
now  generally  agree. 

The  success  of  the  Institute  in  making  scholars,  has  been  equal  to 
the  anticipations  of  its  friends.  The  students  take  an  honorable 
and  becoming  stand  in  the  university ;  are  in  high  repute  as  pre- 
ceptors of  academies,  and  teachers  in  primary  schools.  The 
thorough  drilling  they  are  called  to  undergo,  fits  them  for  a  profes- 
sional course,  and  a  pleasant  pursuit  of  literary  studies  in  after  life. 

Upon  the  removal  of  the  institute  from  Greensborough,  the  friends 
of  education  in   and  around  that  village  continued  the  classical 


EFFORTS    TO     PROMOTE     EDUCATION.  521 

school  in  the  buildings  vacated,  under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Eli 
W.  Caruthers,  the  successor  of  Dr.  David  Caldwell,  and  author  of 
his  memoirs ;  and  Mr.  Lindsey,  who  had  been  an  instructor  in  the 
Institute  from  the  first.  This  school  has  flourished,  and  has  fair 
prospects  of  success.  Its  discipline  and  course  of  studies  are  formed 
upon  the  model  and  experience  of  the  school  that  preceded  it ;  and 
Greensborough  still  holds  out  strong  inducements  for  the  patronage 
of  the  public,  for  the  education  of  boys. 

The  Donaldson  Academy  was  founded  by  Fayetteville  Presbytery, 
about  the  same  time  with  the  Caldwell  Institute,  and  located  in 
Fayetteville.  Its  object  was  the  same,  and  the  discipline  and  course 
of  studies  very  similar.  It  received  its  name  from  a  liberal  patron 
in  New  York.  It  was  commenced  on  the  manual  labor  plan ;  as 
wTas  also  the  design  of  the  Caldwell  Institute  at  first.  Its  success 
under  the  tuition  of  the  Rev.  Simeon  Colton,  was  flattering  both  as 
to  the  numbers  and  progress  of  the  students.  But  the  manual  labor 
system  was  found  unprofitable  and  inexpedient,  and  was  abandoned 
in  a  few  years.  Some  unpropitious  circumstances  led  the  trustees 
to  dispose  of  the  academy  buildings,  and  the  preceptor,  Mr.  Colton, 
has  since  carried  on  a  flourishing  classical  school  in  Fayetteville  on 
his  own  responsibility,  until  in  the  present  year  (1846),  his  accept- 
ance of  the  presidency  of  a  college  brought  his  school  to  a  close. 

Davidson  College  was  founded  by  Concord  and  Bethel  Presby- 
teries ;  the  first  embracing  the  upper  part  of  North  Carolina,  and 
the  other  an  adjoining  section  in  South  Carolina.  In  the  year 
1835,  the  Concord  Presbytery,  at  their  regular  spring  meeting  held 
at  Prospect  Church,  formerly  a  part  of  Centre,  took  steps  for  the 
endowment  of  a  college,  to  be  located  somewhere  in  the  beautiful 
region  occupied  by  the  Presbyterian  population  in  the  upper  part  of 
the  State.  In  the  fall  of  the  same  year,  vigorous  measures  were 
taken  for  putting  up  suitable  buildings.  The  site  was  chosen  in 
the  northern  part  of  Mecklenburg  county,  near  to  Iredell,  Rowan, 
and  Cabarrus,  about  two  miles  from  Centre  Meeting-house. 

Its  name  was  given  in  honor  of  General  Davidson,  who  fell  at 
Cowan's  Ford,  whose  numerous  relatives  were  generous  patrons 
of  the  College.  Operations  were  commenced  the  first  Monday  of 
March,  1837,  under  Rev.  R.  H.  Morrison,  D.D.,  pastor  of  Sugar 
Creek,  president ;  and  Rev.  P.  J.  Sparrow  of  Salisbury,  professor. 
By  these  gentlemen,  with  the  assistance  of  a  tutor,  Mr.  Johnson,  the 
regular  classes  were  formed,  and  carried  through  a  regular  college 
course. 

The  college  was  opened  as  a  manual  labor  institution ;  and  all 


522  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

the  students  were  required  to  labor  some  hours  each  study  day  upon 
the  college  farm,  for  which  they  received  compensation.  After 
about  four  years'  trial,  the  system  was  modified  from  necessary  to 
voluntary  labor ;  those  laboring  receiving  a  suitable  compensation. 

In  the  year  1838  an  ample  charter  was  obtained  from  the  State, 
empowering  the  Board  of  Trustees  chosen  by  Concord  and  Bethel 
Presbyteries,  to  manage  all  the  affairs  of  the  college,  and  hold 
property  to  the  amount  of  two  hundred  thousand  dollars.  Vacan- 
cies in  the  board  are  to  be  supplied  by  the  Presbyteries  that  founded 
the  college  ;  and  such  other  Presbyteries  as  they  may  associate  with 
themselves. 

By  Art.  2d,  Sec.  3d,  of  the  Constitution,  it  is  provided,  that  the 
teachers  and  professors  shall,  on  their  inauguration,  enter  into  the 
following  obligations,  viz. — "  I  do  sincerely  believe  the  Scriptures 
of  the  Old  and  New  Testaments  to  be  the  word  of  God,  the  only 
infallible  rule  of  faith  and  practice.  I  do  sincerely  adopt  the  Con- 
fession of  Faith  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  the  United  States  of 
America,  as  faithfully  exhibiting  the  doctrines  taught  in  the  Holy 
Scriptures.  I  do  sincerely  approve  and  adopt  the  Form  of  Govern- 
ment and  Discipline  of  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  these  United 
States  of  America.  I  do  solemnly  engage  not  to  teach  anything 
that  is  opposed  to  any  doctrine  contained  in  the  Confession  of  Faith, 
nor  to  oppose  any  of  the  fundamental  principles  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  Government,  while  I  continue  a  teacher  or  professor  of  this 
Institution."  By  Art.  1st,  no  one  is  eligible  to  the  office  of  trustee 
but  such  as  are  "  members  in  full  communion  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church."  It  is  also  provided,  that  "  no  person  shall  be  inducted 
into  the  office  of  teacher  or  professor  but  a  member  of  the  Presby- 
terian Church  in  full  communion."  Great  pains  are  taken  to  impart 
suitable  religious  and  moral  instruction  to  the  students,  and  to  en- 
force the  necessary  discipline.  The  charter  provisions  make  it  an 
offence  cognizable  by  the  common  law  courts,  for  any  person  to  set 
up  or  open  to  the  students  any  allurements  to  dissipation  within  two 
miles  of  the  College. 

The  College  was  deprived  of  the  valuable  services  of  its  first 
President,  Dr.  Morrison,  by  protracted  ill  health,  which  for  a  time 
rendered  any  effort  at  teaching  or  preaching  impracticable  ;  and  of 
Professor  Sparrow,  by  resignation.  Dr.  Morrison,  after  retiring  to 
his  farm,  recovered  his  health,  and  is  now  preaching;  and  Mr. 
Sparrow  is  President  of  Hampden  Sydney  College,  in  Virginia. 
Davidson  College  has  been  pretty  regularly  increasing  in  the  num- 
ber of  its  students  and  the  extent  of  its  influence ;  and  the  standard 


EFFORTS    TO    PROMOTE    EDUCATION.  523 

of  its  scholarship  is  rising  as  fast  as  that  of  any  infant  institution  in 
our  land.  Its  instruction  is  imparted  by  a  President,  Rev.  Samuel 
Williamson,  and  two  Professors,  Rev.  S.  B.  0.  Wilson,  and  Mr.  Mor- 
timer Johnson,  with  the  assistance  of  tutors. 

There  are,  or  ought  to  be,  students  enough  in  the  State  to  fill  the 
University  and  this  College  also.  There  ought  to  be  enough  con- 
nected with  the  ten  thousand  communicants  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church  to  sustain  this  College  to  the  full,  and  spare  some  students 
to  the  University.  And  if  the  whole  State  is  ever  aroused  to  a  just 
apprehension  of  the  value  of  education,  these  two  institutions  will 
not  contain  the  youths  thirsting  for  knowledge ;  and,  if  ever  the 
Presbyterian  population  become  alive  to  the  real  value  of  classic  in- 
struction chastened  by  Christian  morality  and  truth,  this  College  will 
neither  want  funds  nor  students. 

In  reviewing  the  efforts  of  the  Scotch  and  Scotch-Irish,  and  their 
descendants,  worthy  of  all  praise  and  imitation,  we  can  but  lament 
that  the  citizens  of  Mecklenburg  and  the  neighboring  counties  suf- 
fered themselves  to  be  beguiled  from  the  good  work  of  establishing 
a  College  on  a  liberal  foundation,  and  their  attention  to  be  turned  to 
the  neighboring!;  excellent  but  short-lived  Institution  at  Winnsbo- 
rough,  and  to  the  more  imposing  and  permanent  one  at  Princeton. 
It  is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  the  amount  of  influence  that  long 
before  this  would  have  been  put  forth  in  the  South  and  West,  fol- 
lowing the  stream  of  emigration  towards  the  Mississippi,  had  the 
Queen's  Museum  or  Liberty  Hall  been  sustained  with  the  spirit  and 
liberality  with  which  they  were  founded. 

There  is  another  feature  in  the  efforts  at  education  among  these 
people,  worthy  of  notice,  and  that  is,  the  attention  paid  to  the  in- 
struction of  females.  Before  the  Revolution,  and  for  some  years 
afterwards,  females  were  not  generally  favored  with  an  opportunity 
of  an  education  beyond  the  rudiments  taught  in  the  common  schools. 
How  men  who  thought  so  wisely  on  religion  and  politics,  and  vindi- 
cated them  so  nobly,  and  prized  the  liberal  instruction  of  their  sons, 
should  have  so  overlooked  their  daughters,  can  be  solved  only  by  a 
reference  to  their  previous  history  and  the  circumstances  in  which 
they  were  placed.  But  the  fact  remains,  that  the  men  who  built 
the  College  at  Charlotte  and  those  who  founded  the  classical  schools 
in  different  parts  of  the  State,  were  contented  for  the  most  part  with 
affording  their  daughters  a  very  limited  course  of  study.  To  read- 
ing the  Bible  and  repeating  the  catechism,  and  writing  a  legible 
hand,  few  studies  were  added.  Grammar,  arithmetic  aiid  geography, 
were  seldom  numbered  amongst  the  studies  of  females.     There  were 


524  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

some  noble  exceptions  in  daughters  of  clergymen  and  some  others. 
Dr.  Caldwell,  of  Guilford,  gave  his  daughter  the  best  education  that 
could  be  obtained.  Some  sent  their  daughters  to  Philadelphia.  But 
the  mass  were  contented  with  a  very  low  standard  of  acquirements. 
As  a  consequence,  the  females,  who  were,  as  females  generally  are, 
admirers  of  mental  accomplishments,  and  who  labored  hard  that 
their  brothers  and  sons  might  obtain  the  advantages  of  knowledge, 
were  themselves  sometimes  neglected  and  ready  to  cry  out,  "  many 
a  day  have  I  worked  with  these  hands,"  in  sickness  of  heart. 

This  evil  has  been  of  late  passing  away  before  the  commendable 
efforts  to  establish  schools  of  high  reputation  for  young  females. 
These  have  sprung  up  in  different  parts  of  the  State — some  few, 
public  institutions,  and  many  on  private  responsibility.  And  at  this 
time,  the  daughters  of  Carolina  are  not  compelled  either  to  grow  up 
with  few  acquirements  besides  what  their  own  native  talent  could, 
unaided,  accomplish,  or  seek  in  some  other  State  the  privileges  de- 
nied in  their  own.  In  their  native  State,  they  can  now  enjoy  ad- 
vantages for  a  literary,  scientific  and  ornamental  education,  not  sur- 
passed in  any  of  the  Southern  States,  and  which  may  compare 
advantageously  with  the  most  favored  sections  of  our  country.  These 
institutions  are  found  both  in  Eastern  and  Western  Carolina. 

The  efforts  now  making  by  the  State  to  ensure  the  instruction  of 
all  children  of  the  community  in  the  common  branches  of  education, 
in  conjunction  with  the  exertions  made  by  different  denominations, 
for  the  proper  training  of  the  youth  under  their  care,  will,  by  a  di- 
vine blessing,  secure  to  all  the  privilege  of  reading,  and  to  multitudes 
a  liberal  course  of  study. 

Martin  Academy,  in  its  history  and  influence,  is  the  property  of 
Tennessee.  It  received  its  existence  from  the  Rev.  Samuel  Doak, 
the  earliest  classical" teacher  west  of  "the  Mountains;"  and,  in 
1788,  received  a  charter  from  the  State  of  North  Carolina.  In  1795, 
it  became  a  College,  under  the  labors  of  that  indefatigable  man, 
and  by  the  charter  granted  by  the  Territorial  Government.  Its  in- 
fluence during  the  Revolution,  and  after,  together  with  a  full  sketch 
of  the  early  ministers  that  settled  along  the  Holston,  will  be  a  part 
of  the  work  of  him  that  writes  either  the  ecclesiastical  or  civil  his- 
tory of  Tennessee. 

This  article  may  be  very  properly  brought  to  a  close,  by  an  ex- 
tract from  a  report  of  a  committee  of  Fayetteville  Presbytery,  "  on 
the  condition  and  prospects  of  Davidson  College."  The  Presbytery 
had  been  invited  to  join  in  the  support  of  the  College ;  a  committee, 
of  which  Rev.  Simeon  Calton  was  chairman,  was  appointed  to  visit 


EFFORTS    TO     PROMOTE    EDUCATION.  525 

the  institution  and  make  report.  This  committee  submitted  a  long 
and  able  report  to  the  Presbytery  in  November,  1844,  which  was, 
by  order  of  Presbytery,  printed  and  widely  circulated.  Towards  the 
conclusion  of  the  report,  the  committee  say :  "  Here,  it  is  natural  to 
inquire,  can  Davidson  College  be  sustained ;  and  can  it  ever  become 
such  an  institution  as  will  hold  a  good  rank  among  sister  institu- 
tions, and  be  likely  to  attract  any  considerable  attention  to  itself,  as 
a  place  of  education?  It  should  be  remembered  that  there  are  but 
few  colleges  that  rank  so  high  as  to  command  general  attention 
through  the  country,  and  exert  a  general  influence  on  the  cause  of 
education.  Of  the  sixty,  which  our  country  contains,  comparatively 
few  are  known  beyond  the  immediate  region  where  they  are  located. 
They  are  all,  however,  useful  in  their  place ;  and  exert  no  little  influ- 
ence on  the  community  that  surrounds  them.  Davidson  College  is 
located  in  a  section  of  country  where  the  influence  of  such  an  insti- 
tution will  be  appreciated ;  and  be  productive  of  much  good.  It  is 
easy  of  access,  and  placed  in  the  midst  of  a  rich  section  of  territory, 
it  will  always  be  surrounded  by  a  dense  population,  out  of  which 
many  young  men  will  be  desirous  of  obtaining  an  education. 
These  will  find  this  institution,  on  many  accounts,  an  eligible  place 
of  resort.  The  districts  of  Spartanburg,  York,  Lancaster,  and 
Chesterfield,  in  South  Carolina;  and  the  counties  of  Mecklenburg, 
Cabarrus,  Anson,  Lincoln,  Rutherford,  Burke,  Iredell,  Wilkes,  Davy, 
Rowan,  and  Stanley,  in  North  Carolina,  will  find  this  the  most  con^ 
venient  place  for  them.  Surry,  together  with  the  counties  further 
to  the  west,  with  Richmond,  Moore,  Montgomery,  Robeson,  and 
other  eastern  counties,  will,  for  various  reasons,  always  contribute 
more  or  less  to  the  patronage  of  this  institution.  The  districts  and 
counties  which  we  have  named  contain  a  population  of  two  hundred 
thousand  souls;  a  population  considerably  exceeding  that  of  the 
State  of  Connecticut,  previous  to  the  establishment  of  the  two 
denominational  colleges,  in  addition  to  Yale.  Within  the 
limits  of  the  district  of  country  which  have  been  described, 
there  are  between  eight  and  nine  thousand  members  of  the  Presby- 
terian churches;  how  many  of  other  denominations,  we  have  no 
means  of  determining.  Supposing  the  patronage  of  the  institution 
is  confined  to  the  Presbyterian  denomination,  there  is  sufficient  po- 
pulation of  that  order,  within  the  limits  named,  not  only  to  justify, 
but  even  to  demand,  that  the  institution  should,  by  them,  be  sus- 
tained. But  if  conducted  on  liberal  principles,  the  Presbyterian  is 
not  the  only  denomination  that  will  patronize  the  institution.  Other 
denominations,  from  contiguity  of  situation,  or  from  motives  of  eco- 


526  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

nomy,  and,  as  may  be  hoped,  from  intrinsic  merits  of  the  institution, 
will  patronize  it  to  some  extent.  Patronage,  too,  from  other  parts 
of  the  State  may  be  expected,  when  the  character  of  the  institution 
shall  have  become  established  and  known." 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  527 


CHAPTER  XXXVI. 

THE  UNIVERSITY  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA  AND  THE  REV.  JOSEPH 
CALDWELL,   D.D. 

The  following  brief  statement,  which  appeared  in  the  public  pa- 
pers immediately  after  the  exercises  it  describes,  was  admitted  by 
the  friends  of  the  institution  to  be  a  correct  view  of  the  state  of 
things  at  Chapel  Hill,  and  will  form  our  introduction  to  the  Uni- 
versity of  the  State. 

At  half-past  ten  o'clock  on  Thursday  morning,  June  3d,  1842, 
the  usual  procession  of  students,  faculty,  trustees,  and  visitors,  was 
formed  in  front  of  the  South  College,  and  moved  through  the  beau- 
tiful grove  of  native  forest  trees,  carefully  preserved  as  an  ornament 
of  the  University  grounds,  round  the  monument  erected  to  the 
memory  of  the  first  President,  the  Rev.  Joseph  Caldwell,  D.D., 
who  cherished  the  infant  university  and  presided  over  its  destinies 
for  some  forty  years,  to  the  chapel,  where  the  exercises  of  Com- 
mencement Day  were  opened  with  prayer  by  the  Rev.  Professor 
Mitchell,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  and  closed  with  prayer  by 
Professor  Green,  of  the  Episcopal  church. 

During  the  exercises,  His  Excellency  Governor  Morehead  on 
the  right  of  the  President  of  the  University,  Ex-Governor  Swain, 
occupied  the  centre  of  the  stage,  and  the  orators  of  the  day,  nine 
in  number,  in  their  rear  ;  and  the  Trustees  and  Professors  on  the 
right  and  left,  occupied  the  wings  of  the  stage,  leaving  a  space  in 
front  of  the  two  presiding  officers  for  the  speakers'  stand  ;  imme- 
diately in  front  of  the  platform  were  the  students  of  the  University 
in  a  company. 

The  performances  of  the  young  gentlemen,  candidates  for  the 
Baccalaureate,  adorned  each  with  the  insignia  of  the  literary  so- 
ciety of  which  he  was  a  member,  were  characterized  by  correct- 
ness of  sentiment  and  chasteness  of  style  and  delivery  ;  and  an 
entire  absence  of  the  artificial  action  and  pompous  diction  some- 
times so  prominent  in  academic  exercises.  Before  the  Bachelor's 
Degree  was  conferred,  one  oi  the  Trrstees  read  the  report  of  the  Fa- 
culty, giving  individually,  ai  1  by  name,  the  rank  of  each  of  the 
candidates  for  the  honor,  from  the  time  of  entering  the  University 


528  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

till  the  close  of  his  studies  ;  and  in  a  general  manner  the  standing 
of  the  under-graduates.  The  senior  class  occupied  a  small  area 
in  front  of  the  stage,  while  the  statement  was  read  from  the  col- 
lege records.  Their  rank  in  scholarship,  their  behavior  in  recita- 
tions, public  worship,  and  daily  prayers,  and  the  number  of 
absentees  from  any  college  exercise,  were  each  stated  in  order. 
The  deep  interest  with  which  the  whole  assembly  listened  to  this 
record,  evinced  the  power  of  the  appeal  to  the  sense  of  honor  and 
propriety  in  the  bosoms  of  the  young  men.  A  strong  sensation 
pervaded  the  assembly  when  it  was  announced  that  on  account  of 
inattention  to  college  duties,  after  repeated  admonitions,  two  under- 
graduates were  in  danger  of  being  remitted  to  their  parents  ;  their 
names  were  not  mentioned  ;  and  it  would  have  been  cruel  to  have 
scanned  the  anxious  company  for  the  discovery  that  might  have 
been  made.  The  report  closed  by  announcing  that  twenty-nine 
young  gentlemen  were  admitted  to  their  first  Degree  ;  of  these, 
one  had  not  failed  in  an  exercise  or  duty  during  the  whole  four 
}rears'  course  ;  six  others  had  not  failed  during  the  senior  year ; 
and  three  others  had  not  in  their  course  voluntarily  failed  ;  their 
few  absences  being  the  consequence  of  unavoidable  necessity. 

The  degree  of  A.B.  was  then  conferred  by  the  President,  call- 
ing the  young  gentlemen  by  name,  upon  the  stage,  pronouncing'" 
the  form  of  admission  in  Latin,  and  presenting  the  parchment  on 
which  was  written  a  certificate  of  the  fact,  signed  by  the  trustees 
and  faculty.  After  the  parchment  had  been  given  to  each  Bache- 
lor, a  beautifully  bound  copy  of  the  Bible,  the  pocket  edition  of 
the  American  Bible  Society,  was  presented,  by  the  President,  to 
each  of  the  graduates,  with  a  Latin  Form  expressive  of  the 
desire  of  the  Faculty  and  Trustees — that  it  might  be  their  guide 
to  eternal  life.  It  is  understood  that  besides  public  worship  on 
the  Sabbath,  and  daily  prayers  in  the  chapel,  instruction  in  the 
Bible  forms  a  part  of  the  regular  College  course. 

An  air  of  solemnity  pervaded  all  the  proceedings  of  this  day,  in 
the  beautiful  classic  grove  of  Chapel  Hill.  Events  had  occurred, 
which  touched  all  hearts,  in  this  little  community,  composed  of 
the  Faculty  of  the  University,  their  families,  and  the  students,  and 
a  few  families  connected  with  the  Institution.  Death,  perhaps, 
has  not  as  many  terrors  in  a  retired  village,  as  in  a  crowded  cit)r ; 
but  it  is  more  solemn  and  affecting.  The  throng  of  business  and 
heartless  dissipation  in  the  city,  neglects  the  sick,  the  dying,  and 
the  dead,  and  makes  it  horrible  and  loathsome  to  die.  In  a  secluded 
village,  or  retired  community,  the  death  of  a  single  individual,  for 


REV.    JOSEPH     CALDWELL.  529 

a.  time,  stops  the  current  of  business,  changes  the  tide  of  feeling, 
awakens  the  tenderest  sympathies,  and  brings  home  the  truth,  that 
the  narrow  resting-place  of  the  grave  will  soon  be  the  home  of  us 
all. 

An  amiable  young  lady,  the  daughter  of  the  Rev.  Alexander 
Wilson,  D.D.,  of  Caldwell  Institute,  Greensborough,  returning  in 
company  with  her  father,  from  a  visit  to  Raleigh,  had  been  detain- 
ed a  few  days  at  the  house  of  Professor  Philips  of  the  University, 
by  a  fever,  which  yielded  to  no  medicine,  but  went  on  slowly  and 
steadily  in  its  work,  till,  on  the  last  day  of  May,  it  triumphed  over 
its  victim.  What  parent  could  check  the  feelings  of  sympathy 
with  a  parent  for  a  sick  child  ?  What  youth  could  shut  the  heart 
against  that  indescribable  interest,  that  surrounds  an  amiable 
female,  cheered  in  her  struggles  with  disease  and  death,  by  the 
hope  of  immortal  life  through  Jesus  Christ,  her  Lord  ?  Simply 
to  say,  however,  that  the  inhabitants  of  Chapel  Hill  sympathized 
with  the  afflicted  parent  and  his  dying  child  would  be  saying  little 
of  that  classic  community. 

A  sense  of  religion  had  grown  up  with  that  young  lady,  and  the 
duty  and  privilege  of  prayer  had  been  felt  and  enjoyed  from  her 
earliest  days.  Her  religious  principles  maintained  an  unbroken 
ascendency  through  the  various  stages  of  her  disease  till  about  a 
day  before  her  death,  when  the  last  struggle  of  unbelief  preceded 
the  last  struggle  of  mortal  life.  Her  disturbed  appearance  and 
restlessness  of  body  exciting  attention,  she  said — "  it  was  not  pain  of 
body,  but  that  her  mind  was  dark,  and  fears  had  come  over  her, 
lest  her  hopes  were  vain,  and  would  desert  her  in  the  last  hour." 
The  Professor,  whose  hospitality  was  privileged  in  ministering  to 
the  wants  of  the  dying  one,  was  immediately  summoned  from  his 
college  exercises, — prayer  was  offered  around  her  couch,  till  her 
soul  was  quieted  in  the  good  hope  through  grace.  From  that 
time  she~  enjoyed  unbroken  peace,  till  she  fell  asleep  in  Jesus. 
The  solemn  funeral  services,  conducted  by  Professor  Philips,  took 
place  the  evening  preceding  the  commencement,  and  her  remains 
were  laid  in  the  burying-ground  of  the  University.  You  will  see 
her  monument  as  you  pass,  a  little  distance  from  the  gate. 

The  impression  of  the  whole  scene  on  commencement  day  was 
entirely  favorable ;  creditable  alike  to  the  students,  the  Faculty 
and  the  University.  Under  the  present  admirable  arrangements, 
a  studious  youth  may  acquire  as  complete  an  academic  education 
as  at  any  college  in  the  Union ;  and  parents  and  guardians  may  be 
assured  that  unceasing  attention  is  paid  to  the  morals,  religious  in- 

34 


•530  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

i 

struction,  and  studious  habits  of  the  young  men  committed  to  the 
fostering  care  of  the  University." — ( Watchman  of  the  South,  June 
16th,  1842.) 

The  University  of  North  Carolina,  introduced  to  the  kindness 
of  criticism  and  the  public  sympathy  by  the  preceding  notice,  is 
not  a  Presbyterian  institution,  neither  does  it  belong  to,  nor  is  it  un- 
der the  peculiar  management  of  any  religious  denomination.  It 
is  the  child  and  property  of  the  State  at  large,  in  which  all  have 
an  interest,  and  over  it  the  Legislature  the  ultimate  control.  As 
part  of  the  community  that  loves  the  education  of  youth,  the  Pres- 
byterian congregations  and  families  have  a  great  and  increasing 
interest  in  the  University,  now  rising  in  the  public  estimation,  in 
actual  merit  and  in  the  influence  on  the  public  mind  ;  they  must, 
in  common  with  all  the  denominations  in  the  State,  feel  the  pul- 
sations of  this  literary  and  scientific  heart  of  the  State  ;  as  patri- 
ots, they  must,  and  do  wish,  well  to  this  nursery  of  citizens  and 
rulers,  for  its  disease  and  pollution,  or  its  health  and  moral  action, 
must  affect  every  section  of  the  State,  and  sooner  or  later  guide 
the  fortunes  of  the  whole.  Who  can  estimate  the  influence  of  a 
well  endowed  popular  literary  institution,  as  it  pours  out  its  streams, 
year  after  year,  into  the  bosoms  of  society,  and  like  the  Nile  of 
Egypt,  watering  every  garden  on  the  plains  ! 

But  there  is  another  view  in  which  Presbyterians  have  been, 
and  are,  deeply  involved  as  a  community  that  love  their  creed,  and 
fully  believe  that,  in  the  fair  working  of  their  principles,  the  best 
interests  of  society  will  advance  with  a  rapid  pace,  even  to  the 
full  enjoyment  of  the  rights  of  man  in  freedom  of  conscience, 
and  undisturbed  possession  of  life  and  property  ;  a  view  in  which, 
as  we  look  at  the  University,  every  Presbyterian  may  point  at  it, 
as  an  exhibition  or  development  of  one  part  of  their  principles, 
which  convinces,  not  by  argument,  but  by  facts,  that  the  Presby- 
terian Church  is  neither  monarchical  nor  aristocratical,  nor  grasping, 
but  is  seeking  honestly  the  welfare  of  the  whole.  This  view  will 
he  set  forth  in  this  sketch  of  the  history  of  the  institution,  and  a 
short  notice  of  him,  justly  styled  the  Father  of  the  University, 
Joseph  Caldwell. 

On  the  11th  of  December,  1789,  the  Legislature  of  North  Caro- 
lina, in  accordance  with  the  provisions  of  her  constitution,  adopted 
December  6th,  1776,  requiring  all  useful  learning  to  be  promoted 
in  one  or  more  universities,  incorporated  an  university  with  the 
following  preamble  to  the  charter  :  "  Whereas,  in  all  well  regu- 
lated governments  it  is  the  indispensable  duty  of  every  legislature 


REV.    JOSEPH     CALDWELL.  531 

to  consult  the  happiness  of  a  rising  generation,  and  endeavor  to  fit 
them  for  an  honorable  discharge  of  the  social  duties  of  life,  by 
paying  the  strictest  attention  to  their  education ;  and  whereas  an 
university  supported  by  permanent  funds,  and  well  endowed, 
would  have  the  most  direct  tendency  to  answer  the  above  pur- 
pose, Be  it  therefore  enacted"  fyc.,  fyc.  The  following  forty 
names  were  inserted  as  "  the  trustees  of  the  University  of  North 
Carolina"  viz. ;  Samuel  Johnson,  James  Iredell,  Charles  John- 
son, Hugh  Williamson,  Stephen  Cabarrus,  Richard  Dobbs 
Speight,  Wm.  Blount,  Benjamin  Williams,  John  Sibpeanes,  Fre- 
derick Harget,  Robert  W.  Snead,  Archibald  Maclane,  Hon.  Sam- 
uel Ashe,  Robert  Dixon,  Benjamin  Smith,  Hon.  Samuel  Spencer, 
John  Hay,  James  Hogg,  Henry  Wm.  Harrington,  Wm.  Barney 
Grove,  Rev.  Samuel  E.  McCorkle,  Adlai  0, shorn,  John  Stokes, 
John  Hamilton,  Joseph  Graham,  Hon.  John  Williams,  Thomas 
Person,  Alfred  Moore,  Alexander  Mebane,  Joel  Lane,  Willie 
Jones,  Benjamin  Hawkins,  John  Haywood,  sen.,  John  Macon, 
Wm.  Richardson  Davie,  Joseph  Dixon,  Wm.  Lenoir,  Joseph 
McDonald,  James  Holland,  and  Wm.  Porter.  Some  moderate 
endowment  was  made  by  the  State,  which  cost  her  nothing,  by 
way  of  old  debts  due  from  receiving  officers  previous  to  1st  Jan., 
1785,  and  all  the  property  which  had  escheated  to  the  State  or 
should  thereafter  be  escheated.  The  latter  part  of  the  endow- 
ment was  repealed  in  a  few  years. 

The  first  meeting  of  the  trustees  was  held  in  Fayetteville,  the 
15th  of  November,  1790,  and  the  work  of  gathering  funds  to 
erect  buildings  and  maintain  teachers  was  commenced.  In  De- 
cember, 1791,  the  State  made  a  loan  of  $10,000,  which  was  after- 
wards converted  into  a  donation,  and  the  trustees  determined  to 
select  a  site  and  erect  buildings.  According  to  the  charter  "  a 
healthy  and  convenient  situation,  which  shall  not  be  situated 
within  five  miles  of  the  seat  of  government,  or  any  of  the  places 
of  holding  the  courts  of  law  or  equity,"  was  to  be  chosen  by  the 
trustees  according  to  their  discretion.  On  the  1st  of  November, 
1792,  a  committee  of  six  met  at  Pittsborough,  to  determine  the 
precise  location  of  the  university,  the  trustees  having  decided  in 
August  in  favor  of  the  neighborhood  of  Cypress  Bridge,  on  the 
road  from  Pittsborougii  to  Raleigh.  Liberal  offers  were  made 
by  various  proprietors  to  secure  the  location  on  their  tracts,  or  in 
their  neighborhoods.  On  the  9th  the  committee  unanimously 
chose  Chapel  Hill,  and  the  same  day  the  citizens  of  the  neigh- 
borhood conveyed  eleven  hundred  and  eighty  acres   of  land  to  the 


532  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

university,  and  made  a  subscription  of  about  $1600  to  assist  in 
carrying  the  designs  of  the  trustees  into  speedy  execution.  The 
North  Carolina  Journal,  Halifax,  for  September  25th,  1793,  says  : 
"  The  seat  of  the  university  is  on  a  high  ridge.  There  is  a  gentle 
declivity  of  300  yards  to  the  village,  which  is  situated  in  a  hand- 
some plain  considerably  lower  than  the  site  of  the  public  build- 
ings, but  so  greatly  elevated  above  the  neighboring  country  as  to 
furnish  an  extensive  landscape.  The  ridge  appears  to  com- 
mence about  half  a  mile  directly  east  of  the  college  buildings, 
where  it  rises  abruptly  several  hundred  feet ;  this  peak  is  called 
Point  Prospect.  The  Peak  country  spreads  off  below,  like  the 
ocean,  giving  an  immense  hemisphere,  in  which  the  eye  seems  to 
be  lost  in  the  extent  of  space. 

"  The  University  is  situated  about  twenty-eight  miles  from  the 
city  of  Raleigh,  and  twelve  from  the  town  of  Hillsborough.  The 
great  road  from  Chatham,  and  the  country  in  the  neighborhood  of 
that  county,  to  Petersburg,  passes  at  present  directly  through  the 
village,  and  it  is  a  fortunate  and  important  circumstance,  both  to 
the  Institution  and  the  town,  that  the  road  from  all  the  Western 
country  to  the  seat  of  Government  will  also  pass  through  this 
place,  being  the  nearest  and  best  direction." 

On  the  12th  of  October,  1793,  the  first  lots  in  the  village  were 
sold,  and  the  corner-stone  of  the  first  building  was  laid,  with  ma- 
sonic procession  and  ceremonies,  by  William  Richardson  Davie. 
The  Rev.  Dr.  McCorkle,  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  the  only 
clergyman  then  in  the  corporation,  addressed  the  assembly  at 
length.  From  his  speech  the  following  are  extracts  : — "  It  is  our 
duty  to  acknowledge  that  sacred  scriptural  truth,  Except  the  Lord 
build  the  house,  they  labor  in  vain  that  build  it ;  except  the  Lord, 
keepeth  the  city,  the  watchman  waketh  but  in  vain.  For  my  own 
part,  I  feel  myself  penetrated  with  a  sense  of  these  truths ;  and 
this  I  feel  not  only  as  a  minister  of  religion,  but  also  as  a  citizen  of 
the  State,  as  a  member  of  civil  as  well  as  religious  society. 
These  unaffected  feelings  of  my  heart  give  me  leave  to  express, 
with  that  plainness  and  honesty  which  becomes  a  preacher  of  the 
Gospel  and  a  minister  of  Jesus  Christ." 

"  To  diffuse  the  greatest  possible  degree  of  happiness  in  a  given 
territory  is  the  aim  of  good  government  and  religion.  Now  the 
happiness  of  a  nation  depends  upon  national,  wealth  and  national 
glory,  and  cannot  be  gained  without  them.  They  in  like  manner 
depend  upon  liberty  and  laws.  Liberty  and  laws  call  for  general 
knowledge  in  the  people,  and  extensive  knowledge  in  matters  of 


REV.    JOSEPH     CALDWELL.  533 

State;  and  these,  in  fine,  demand  public  places  of  education. 
#  #  #  #  jjow  can  any  nation  be  happy  without  national 
wealth?  How  can  that  nation,  or  man,  be  happy  that  is  not  pro- 
curing the  necessary  conveniences  and  accommodations  of  life  ? 
How  can  glory  or  wealth  be  procured  or  preserved  without  lib- 
erty and  laws,  as  they  must  check  luxury,  encourage  industry  and 
protect  wealth.  They  must  secure  me  the  glory  of  my  actions, 
and  save  from  a  bowstring  or  a  bastile  ;  and  how  are  these  objects 
to  be  gained  without  general  knowledge  ?  Knowledge  is  wealth, — 
it  is  glory — whether  among  philosophers,  ministers  of  state  or  of 
religion,  or  among  the  great  mass  of  the  people.  Britons  glory  in 
the  name  of  a  Newton,  and  honor  him  with  a  place  among  the 
sepulchres  of  her  kings.  Americans  glory  in  the  name  of  a  Frank- 
lin ;  and  every  nation  which  has  them  boasts  her  great  men. 
Savages  cannot  have,  rather  cannot  educate  them,  though  many  a 
Newton  has  been  born  and  buried  among  them.  Knowledge  is 
liberty  and  law.  When  the  clouds  of  ignorance  are  dispelled  by 
the  radiance  of  knowledge,  power  trembles,  but  the  authority  of 
the  laws  remains  inviolable  ;  and  how  this  knowledge,  productive 
of  so  many  advantages  to  mankind,  can  be  acquired  without  public 
places  of  instruction,  I  know  not.     *  *     *     "  May  this  hill 

be  for  religion  as  the  ancient  hill  of  Zion  ;  and  for  literature  and 
the  Muses,  may  it  surpass  the  ancient  Parnassus  !  We  this  day 
enjoy  the  pleasure  of  seeing  the  corner-stone  of  the  University,  its 
foundations,  its  materials,  and  the  architects  of  the  buildings,  and 
we  hope  ere  long  to  see  its  stately  walls  and  spire  ascending  to 
their  summit."  The  discourse  was  followed  by  a  short  but  animat- 
ed prayer,  closed  with  the  united  Amen  of  an  immense  concourse 
of  people. 

The  buildings  being  in  a  state  of  sufficient  forwardness  to  ac- 
commodate students,  notice  was  given  for  the  opening  of  the  insti- 
tution. Rev.  David  Kerr,  a  graduate  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin, 
a  member  of  the  Presbyterian  church,  who  had  emigrated  to 
America  in  the  year  1791,  and  had  resided  in  Fayetteville  as  the 
preacher,  and  also  as  teacher  of  a  classical  school  for  about  three 
years,  having  a  reputation  for  talents  and  scholarship,  was  the 
first  Professor  selected  by  the  trustees  ;  and  with  him  was  asso- 
ciated Mr.  Samuel  A.  Holmes,  as  tutor  in  the  preparatory  depart- 
ment. The  first  student  on  the  ground  was  Mr.  Hinton  James, 
from  Wilmington,  who  arrived  on  the  12th  of  February,  1795,  and 
on  the  13th  the  public  institut  ion  commenced.  Mr.  Kerr  remained 
but  a  short  time  in  the  employ  of  the  trustees ;  went  to  Lumber- 


534  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

ton  in  Robeson  county,  commenced  mercantile  business  and  the 
study  of  law ;  and  when  prepared  for  legal  business,  removed  to 
the  Mississippi  territory,  was  made  United  States  Marshal,  and 
soon  after  appointed  Judge ;  and  closed  his  career  in  the  year 
1810,  having  acquired  both  property  and  reputation. 

In  the  com-se  of  the  year  1795,  Mr.  Charles  W.  Harris,  of  Ca- 
barrus county,  a  graduate  of  Nassau  Hall,  New  Jersey,  who  was 
pursuing  the  study  of  the  law,  was  appointed  professor  of  mathe- 
matics, and  Mr.  Holmes  professor  of  languages.  Mr.  Harris  ac- 
cepted the  office  only  for  one  year,  and  declined  renewing  his  term 
of  engagement,  wishing  to  follow  his  profession,  in  which  he 
became  eminent,  being  considered  one  of  the  best  lawyers  in  the 
State,  when  death  suddenly  closed  his  career.  He  directed  the 
attention  of  the  trustees  to  Mr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  a  tutor  in  Nassau 
Hall,  with  whose  deportment  and  scholarship  he  had  been 
acquainted  while  a  member  of  college,  though  there  had  never 
been  any  intimacy  with  him.  This  recommendation  led  to  a  cor- 
respondence, of  which  Mr.  Harris  was  the  organ  ;  and  finally  the 
removal  of  Mr.  Caldwell  to  Chapel  Hill,  in  the  fall  of  1796,  as  the 
Professor  of  mathematics  in  the  University.  The  course  of 
instruction  in  the  University  had  been  carried  on  about  eighteen 
months,  and  the  regular  course  of  studies  not  yet  settled,  or  the 
regular  classes  formed.  Everything  was  new,  and  in  an  unform- 
ed state  ;  the  funds  small,  and  the  students  few ;  the  library  and 
apparatus  yet  to  be  procured,  and  the  faculty  not  more  in  number 
than  is  required  for  a  high  school.  But  the  work  was  commenced;, 
and  an  effort  must  be  made  for  an  University.  The  history  of  the 
institution  as  a  place  of  education,  properly  commences  with  the 
labors  of  Joseph  Caldwell.  He  was  the  presiding  Professor,  and 
then  the  President ;  and  for  some  forty  years  directed  the  studies 
of  the  classes,  performing  the  duty  of  a  laborious  professor  and  of 
the  president,  of  a  faithful  teacher  and  the  responsible  governor, 
till  the  institution,  which  began  so  small,  grew  up  to  a  standard  of 
excellence,  at  his  death,  unsurpassed  by  any  institution  of  a  similar 
kind  in  the  southern  country,  and  second  to  few  in  the  United 
States.  As  for  forty  years  the  history  of  the  man  is  the  history  of 
the  University,  and  the  history  of  the  University  is  the  history  of 
the  man,  a  few  notices  of  his  early  life,  which  may  introduce  us  to 
the  Rev.  Joseph  Caldwell  as  he  appeared  at  the  Hill  in  1796,  will 
facilitate  our  acquaintance  with  the  rise  and  progress  of  the  Uni- 
versity itself.  His  matured  years  gave  a  finishing  touch  to  the 
work  of  his  youth. 


REV.    JOSEPH     CALDWELL.  535 

Dr.  Joseph  Caldwell,  a  respectable  physician  in  New  Jersey. 
the  descendant  of  an  emigrant  from  the  province  of  Ulster,  Ireland, 
a  country  fertile  in  enterprising  men,  as   Carolina  can  witness, 
came  to  an  untimely  end,  from  the  rupture  of  a  blood-vessel,  on 
the   19th  of  April,   1773,  at   Lamington,   a  village   on  the  little 
stream  called  Black  River,  that  empties  into  the  Raritan.     On  the 
20th  his  body  was  committed  to  the  dust;    and  on  the  21st  his 
widow  gave  birth  to  a  son,  which,  in  her  desolation  of  widowhood, 
she  called  Joseph,  in  memory  of  the  husband  and  the  father.     As 
the  child  grew  he  received  religious  instructions  from  his  pious 
mother,  Rachel  Harker,  the  daughter  of  a  Presbyterian  clergyman, 
and  granddaughter  of  a  Huguenot.    Mr.  Lovel,  the  maternal  grand- 
father of  Joseph  Caldwell,  fled  from  France  after  that  memorable 
epoch,  1684,  when,  by  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Na«tz,  the 
French  Protestants  became  the  prey  of  persecution  without  mercy. 
He  took  his  residence  first  in  England  ;  and  after  a  few  years 
emigrated  to  America,  and  settled  on  the  west  end  of  Long  Island, 
near  Oyster  Bay,  and  not  far  from  Hempstead  Plains.     Here  lie 
lived  an  exemplary  Christian  life,  and  trained  up  his  family  in 
habits  of  religion,  infusing  much  of  his  own  decision,  promptness, 
and  determination,  in  matters  of  religion,  and  in  the  ordinary  busi- 
ness of  life.      Of  his  maternal  grandmother,  Rachel  Lovel,  Mr. 
Caldwell  used  to  speak  in  the  highest  terms,  having  lived  with  her 
when  young,  and  gathered  from  her  the  traditions  of  the  family  ; 
but  of  his  mother,  his  admiration  knew  no  bounds,  as  a  kind  parent 
and  Christian  woman.     Of  the  discretion  of  his  mother,  he  used 
to  give  a  pleasing  instance,  exemplifying  unintentionally  his  own 
natural  tenderness  of  feeling,  and  his  sense  of  propriety.     While 
quite  a  young  lad,  during  a  short  residence  at  Bristol,  he  ventured 
to  transgress  the  rules  of  his  mother,  by  going  on  a  Sabbath  to  in- 
dulge in  bathing  :  narrowly  escaping  being  drowned,  he  was  taken 
home  sick  and  exhausted,  requiring  careful  attention  to  recover  his 
lost  strength.     His  mother  kindly  attended  upon  her  son,  and,  to 
his  surprise,  said  nothing  to  him  about  his  disobedience,  or  exposure 
to  loss  of  life.     Whatever  was  her  motive,  the  effect  was  great ; 
her  silence  distressed  him  more  than  any  reproof  she  could  have 
given:  his  conscience  chastised  him  for  his  sin  in'  grieving  a  mother 
he  so  much  loved.     The  boy's  heart  was  tender,  and  the  mother 
knew  her  child.     The  religious  impression  soon  passed  away,  but 
the  moral  remained.     Through  life  he  retained  the  impression  of 
this  dealing  of  his  mother,  and,  as  far  as  practicable,  governed  his 
students  in  the  same  principle,  throwing  them  upon  their  sense 


536  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

of  honor,  with  unabated  kindness,  always  forbearing  exposure,  and 
public  and  even  private  reproof,  as  far  as  reclaiming  the  offender, 
and  the  interest  of  the  institution,  would  permit.  A  lad  was  far 
gone  in  moral  insensibility  that  could  know  Dr.  Caldwell  and  rebel 
against  him  for  any  length  of  time. 

Mr.  Lovel,  the  grandfather  of  Dr.  Caldwell,  was  a  firm  believei 
in  those  doctrines  of  religion,  and  that  consistent  Christian  prac- 
tice, which,  in  England,  was  called  Puritanism,  and  in  France  ob- 
tained for  its  followers  the  name  of  Huguenots.  Fond  of  music. 
he  brought  with  him  from  France  a  parlor  organ,  on  which  he 
played  himself,  accompanying  with  his  voice,  and  taught  his  chil- 
dren to  play  upon  it  as  they  grew  up,  using  it  as  an  assistant  to 
their  music  in  the  daily  family  worship.  This  instrument  is  pro- 
bably itt  existence  still,  as  it  was  carefully  preserved,  and  in  use 
by  the  descendants  of  Mr.  Lovel  in  the  days  of  Mr.  Caldwell's 
youth. 

Mr.  Lovel  was  peculiar  for  his  conscientious  abstinence  from 
meat  diet.  Living  on  a  most  productive  farm,  which  he  managed 
well,  he  reared  his  family  in  total  abstinence  of  all  diet  that  re- 
quired the  slaughter  of  animals,  believing  that  such  a  course  was 
more  consistent  with  the  constitution  of  men  and  the  state  of  in- 
nocency,  than  the  indulgence  of  appetite  at  the  expense  of  animal 
life.  In  his  domestic  economy,  he  accustomed  his  children  to 
exercise  their  ingenuity  and  skill  in  overcoming  difficulties  ;  and 
mingling  strict  discipline  with  parental  kindness,  he  possessed  their 
veneration  and  love,  and  his  family  was  esteemed  the  abode  of 
cheerfulness  and  domestic  happiness. 

Mr.  Harker,  a  Presbyterian  clergyman,  married  Mr.  Lovel's 
daughter  Rachel,  and  settled  in  a  place  in  Morris  county,  New 
Jersey,  called  Black  River.  Remarkable  for  his  size,  strength 
and  vigor  of  body,  and  also  for  his  intellectual  powers,  his  prepa- 
rations for  the  ministry  commenced  after  he  had  passed  the  day;? 
of  his  youth  in  manual  labor.  The  habits  of  activity  he  had 
formed,  were  continued  through  life.  A  practical  man  and  faith- 
ful pastor,  he  was  a  leading  man  in  the  community.  A  daughter 
of  his,  named  Rachel  after  her  mother,  was  Mrs.  Caldwell.  Another 
daughter  married' a  man  by  the  name  of  Symmes,  and  became  the 
mother  of  a  son  noted  for  his  theory  of  the  earth's  concavity  at  the 
poles. 

The  war  of  the  Revolution  coming  on  when  Dr.  Caldwell  was 
a  child,  and  New  Jersey  being  the  track  of  the  hostile  armies,  he 
was  removed  from  place  to  place,  as  the  ravages  of  war  pressed 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  537 

upon  his  retreat.  During  all  his  early  life,  his  mother's  residence 
was  unsettled,  and  his  education  conducted  irregularly,  as  oppor- 
tunities were  presented.  His  mother  having  a  temporary  resi- 
dence in  Bristol,  he  commenced  the  study  of  the  mathematics,  in 
which  he  delighted  through  life.  Her  residence  being  for  a  time 
in  Princeton,  he  was  presented  with  a  Latin  grammar  b)r  a  stu- 
dent from  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  commenced  his  classi- 
cal studies  in  the  preparatory  school  under  the  direction  of  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  President  of  the  college.  This  school  was  famous 
for  the  thorough  instruction  and  the  consequent  close  application 
and  correct  method  of  the  pupils.  Young  Caldwell  was  a  close 
student,  and  laid  the  foundation  for  his  future  scholarship  and  ex- 
cellence while  in  this  school,  and  received  impressions  and  imbibed 
principles  which  characterized  him  in  his  labors  at  Chapel  Hill, 
and  in  his  efforts  to  establish  and  sustain  grammar  schools  of  a 
high  order.  When  his  mother  removed  to  Newark,  his  progress 
in  his  education  was  delayed  by  the  change  of  system,  and  the 
different  course  of  studies,  and  his  being  put  in  a  class  less  ad- 
vanced than  himself.  It  is  not  improbable  that  his  own  experience 
of  the  inefficiency  of  some  popular  modes  of  instruction,  and  more 
general  courses  of  study,  fixed  his  judgment  so  firmly  in  favor  of 
thorough  drilling  in  the  rudiments  of  science,  and  of  a  liberal 
course  in  the  languacres. 

From  Newark  his  mother  removed  to  Elizabethtown,  and 
while  there,  on  account  of  her  narrow  circumstances,  abandoned 
the  project  of  giving  him  a  liberal  education,  and  fixed  upon  the 
printing  business  as  his  future  occupation.  With  some  difficulty 
she  obtained  a  place  she  thought  eligible  for  her  son,  but  when  the 
time  came  for  his  being  apprenticed,  she  expressed  a  strong  dis- 
inclination to  act,  first  delaying,  then  opposing,  then  abandoning 
an  engagement  she  had  sought,  and  for  which  her  son  had  at 
length  contracted  a  strong  predilection.  Some  time  after  this,  Dr. 
Witherspoon,  as  he  passed  through  Elizabethtown  in  the  stage, 
called  to  see  her,  and  after  consultation  respecting  her  son,  re- 
moved all  her  difficulties,  and  promised,  on  his  being  sent  to  col- 
lege, to  be  his  patron,  if  he  stood  in  need  at  any  time  of  more 
assistance  than  was  convenient  for  her  to  give.  With  unbounded 
satisfaction  young  Caldwell  became  a  member  of  the  Freshman 
class  at  Nassau  Hall,  August,  1787,  in  his  fifteenth  year,  with  a 
passionate  desire  for  improvement,  without  any  definite  ultimate 
result  in  view. 

His  progress  in  study  and  his  standing  as  a  scholar  while  in 


538  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

college,  is  understood  by  his  honorable  appointment  to  the  Latin 
Salutatory  for  the  exercises  of  commencement  day,  August,  1791, 
when  he  received  his  Bachelor's  degree,  being  then  in  his  nine- 
teenth year.  His  deportment  and  success  during  his  college 
course  attracted  the  attention  of  Mr.  Harris,  and  led  to  his  appoint- 
ment as  professor  in  the  University  of  North  Carolina. 

Being  a  young  man  of  tender  feelings,  and  that  amiable  dis- 
position that  desires  to  please  others  at  a  sacrifice  of  personal 
comfort,  he  was  sometimes  induced  while  in  college  to  engage  in 
sports  which  involved  some  breach  of  strict  propriety  in  college 
discipline,  yielding  to  the  solicitations  and  persuasions  of  his 
fellow  students,  who  had  less  of  that  tenderness  of  conscience, 
self-respect,  and  sense  of  propriety,  that  never  failed  to  inflict  on 
him,  as  with  a  whip  of  scorpions,  a  full  measure  of  distress  for 
his  impropriety.  Speaking  of  his  course  as  a  student,  he  says  : 
"  If  there  was  any  pleasure  in  the  moments  of  clandestine  acts  of 
mischief,  it  was  so  mixed,  in  my  bosom,  with  the  agitation  of  ap- 
prehended discovery  and  dread  of  consequences,  that  I  should  be 
far  from  recommending  it  on  the  score  of  enjoyment.  In  all  such 
cases,  and  I  thank  God  they  were  not  numerous,  as  soon  as  they 
were  over,  the  gloomy  cloud  which  they  brought  upon  my  feel- 
ings, and  which  kept  hovering  around  me  for  days,  was  enough 
to  decide  most  unequivocally,  that  much  was  to  be  set  down  on 
the  page,  not  of  profit  but  of  loss.  The  miseries,  more  or  less, 
which,  in  compliance  with  solicitation,  I  sometimes  consented  to 
inflict  upon  myself  were  only  a  portion  of  the  consequent  suffer- 
ing." With  this  tenderness  of  feeling  and  of  conscience,  there 
was  connected  a  degree  of  resolution  when  called  imperiously  to 
act,  which  all  combined  and  governed  by  Christian  principle  forms 
a  Christian  hero ;  a  man  not  rash,  nor  timidly  afraid  ;  sensible  of 
danger,  but  more  sensible  of  propriety  ;  tender  of  others'  feelings, 
but  more  tender  of  truth  and  right ;  for  convenience  and  accom- 
modation of  others  yielding  all  that  can  be  )rielded,  but  purchasing 
nothing  by  giving  up  or  concealing  principle  ;  that  would  not  hurt 
the  hair  of  the  head  of  ingenuous,  helpless  innocence,  and  yet 
would  die  for  the  truth  and  righteousness.  This  character  went 
with  Caldwell  through  life,  and  was  often  displayed  while  per- 
forming the  duties  of  professor  and  president  at  Chapel  Hill. 
For  at  times  you  might  have  found  him  all  kindness  while  dealing 
with  inexperienced  youth,  in  whom  he  thought  he  saw  an  ingenu- 
ous noble  spirit  to  confess  and  forsake  an  error,  and  then  with 
those  in  whom  he  discovered  a  spirit  of  insubordination,  you  might 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  539 

see  him  rigorous,  uncompromising,  till  the  dignity  of  the  law  was 
vindicated.  And  in  his  intercourse  and  necessary  connection  with 
the  board  of  trustees  on  circumstantial  things,  giving  up  his  better 
judgment  and  greater  experience  with  cheerfulness,  in  obedience 
to  the  expressed  will  of  the  majority,  as  if  he  had  no  fixed  pur- 
pose or  resolution  of  soul ;  and  then  on  subjects  on  which  he  saw 
his  own  or  the  dignity  of  the  institution  depending,  resolutely 
setting  himself,  with  a  calm  firmness,  against  propositions  and 
measures,  as  if  he  had  never  known  what  it  was  to  yield  his 
opinion  to  any  body  of  men. 

After  receiving  his  degree  of  A.B.,  he  returned  to  the  residence 
of  his  brother  Samuel,  who  then  occupied  the  farm  given  him  by 
his  grandfather  Harker,  at  Black  River,  which  was  also  the  resi- 
dence of  his  mother.  Not  being  prepared  to  enter  upon  a  course 
of  professional  studies,  nor  inclined  to  labor  on  the  farm,  he 
opened  a  small  school  in  the  neighborhood,  and  exercised  himself 
in  teaching  little  children,  commencing,  unintentionally,  where  the 
best  teachers  begin  to  learn  the  rare  science  of  teaching  well,  with 
the  unformed,  or  infant  mind.  There  is  a  philosophy  in  the  alpha- 
bet and  in  teaching  it ;  and  more  skill  may  be  required  to  teach 
a  column  of  words  of  two  letters  to  a  lively  or  a  dull  boy,  than  to 
lead  a  class  through  an  equation. 

From  this  place,  after  some  months,  he  was  removed  to  Eliza- 
bethtown,  to  occupy  the  post  of  an  usher  or  assistant,  in  a  classi- 
cal school,  and  was  made  more  intimately  conversant  with  the 
rudiments  of  a  classic  course, _by  recalling  his  boyish  exercises  in 
study,  and  adding  to  his  acquirements,  while  leading  others  to 
Parnassus  hill ;  finding  out  his  own  deficiencies,  and  gathering 
new  rays  of  light  on  abstruse  subjects,  in  the  preparation  to  unfold 
the  mystery  to  the  curious  minds  of  studious  boys,  who  catch,  as 
by  intuition,  from  the  preceptor,  the  knowledge  of  his  unfitness,  or 
his  capability  to  teach.  Here  he  came  under  the  preaching  of 
that,  gifted,  zealous,  and  erratic  man,  David  Austin.  A  fervent 
and  successful  preacher,  of  tall  stature  and  commanding  appear- 
ance, fine  voice  and  impressive  delivery,  he  manifested  the  un- 
hinging of  his  mind,  and  tendency  to  mono-madness,  on  the  return 
of  the  Jews,  which  he  first  rejoiced  in,  then  preached,  then  be- 
lieved was  just  at  hand  ;  and  then  becoming  too  absorbed  in  the 
bewildering  subject  to  be  able  to  perform  the  duties  of  pastor,  he 
left  his  people.  His  enthusiasm  and  eloquence  carried  many  of 
his  people  with  him  to  the  verge  of  folly,  if  not  insanity.  But 
before,  and  after  this  temporary  alienation  of  mind,  he  was  a  fasci- 


540  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

nating,  impressive,  and  useful  preacher  of  the  gospel.  With  this 
gentleman,  then  in  his  zenith  of  usefulness,  Mr.  Caldwell  began  a 
course  of  study  for  the  ministry,  his  mind  having  become  settled 
both  on  the  truth  of  the  gospel  of  Christ,  as  a  Revelation  from 
God  ;  and  on  his  personal  interest  in  that  salvation  revealed  in  the 
gospel.  These  being  settled,  the  work  of  the  ministry  appeared 
to  his  mind  and  heart,  in  some  maimer,  as  it  had  to  the  pious 
mind  of  his  affectionate  mother,  as  the  most  desirable  work  for  his 
strength  and  days.  The  kindness  of  his  pastor,  of  whom  he  always 
spoke  with  feelings  of  the  most  affectionate  reverence,  his  fervent 
exhortations  in  the  pulpit  and  his  private  communications,  together 
with  the  affectionate  attentions  of  Mrs.  Austin,  who  won  his  heart 
as  a  matron  in  the  gospel,  confirmed  his  faith,  and  stimulated  his 
desires  for  spiritual  excellence,  and  for  accomplishing  the  greatest 
good  for  his  fellow  men.  The  cause  of  Christ  appeared  the  cause 
of  all  the  world.  His  companion  in  study  was  a  Mr.  Sherman,  a 
nephew  of  Mr.  Austin. 

The  views  and  impressions  of  religious  truth  which  he  obtained 
at  this  time  were  of  an  abiding  nature,  and  confirmed  by  his  resi- 
dence as  tutor  at  Nassau  Hall,  where  he  pursued  his  theological 
studies  under  the  direction  of  great  and  good  men,  particularly  Dr. 
Witherspoon  ;  they  were  the  articles  of  his  belief  and  principles  of 
his  preaching,  till  the  end  of  his  life,  and  the  joy  and  crown  of  his 
last  days.  While  Professor  at  Chapel  Hill  he  received  a  letter 
from  Mr.  Sherman,  his  fellow  student  at  Elizabethtown,  for  whom 
he  felt  a  strong  regard,  who  had  been  settled  in  the  ministry  of  the 
orthodox  faith,  and  had  imbibed  the  spirit  of  rationalism  that  for  a 
time  pervaded  a  part  of  the  church,  and  flattered  by  its  show  of 
wisdom  and  science,  had  been  decoyed  by  its  novelty  from  the 
orthodox  faith  of  the  Puritans,  informing  him  of  his  change  of 
views  respecting  the  character  and  'person  of  Christ,  and  conse- 
quently of  his  ivorkfor  the  salvation  of  men.  To  this  Mr.  Cald- 
well replied,  that  having  examined  and  settled  those  matters,  he 
did  not  expect  ever  to  change  his  views,  and  did  not  feel  a  desire 
to  think  differently  on  that  subject  from  what  he  then  did,  and  had 
done  for  a  long  time.  His  practical  mind  and  sound  sense  were 
for  "  going  on  to  perfection,  from  the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  not  laying  again  the  foundation  of  repentance  from  dead 
works  and  of  faith  toward  God." 

In  April,  1795,  he  received  the  appointment  of  tutor  in  his  Alma 
Mater  ;  and  being  released  from  his  partial  engagements  to  the 
trustees  of  the  academy  at  Springfield,  with  the  cordial  approbation 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  541 

of  his  friends,  lie  entered  upon  his  new  office  with  cheering  pros- 
pects of  usefulness  and  improvement.  His  duties  as  tutor  called 
into  almost  constant  exercise  a  quality  of  mind  and  heart  of  which 
he  was  capable,  but  to  which  he  was  not  very  strongly  inclined; 
a  quality  indispensable  to  extensive  and  paramount  usefulness, — 
Jirt?iness  of  purpose  that  could  produce  vigor  of  action.  He  was 
in  no  danger  of  exercising  harshness  or  severity  to  the  youth  com- 
mitted to  his  care  ;  he  knew  as  well  as  others  that  his  failings 
leaned  the  other  way.  The  innocent  never  dreaded  his  power  of 
command  ;  and  the  culprit  sometimes  hoped  to  escape  by  his  ten- 
derness. The  confidence  of  the  one  was  never  disappointed ;  and 
the  hopes  and  expectations  of  the  other  seldom  realized.  His 
sense  of  duty  could  nerve  his  heart  to  overcome  all  false  compas- 
sion, and  make  him  do  firmly  what  he  did  tenderly. 

While   tutor  he  was  associated  with  Mr.  Hobart,  afterwards 
Bishop  of  the  Episcopal  church  in  New  York. 

In  the  summer  of  1795  the  correspondence  commenced  between 
him  and  Professor  Harris  that  led  to  his  giving  consent  to  be  run 
as  candidate  for  the  Professorship  of  Mathematics  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina.  On  being  informed  of  "his  election  he 
immediately  made  preparations  to  repair  to  Chapel  Hill.  Being 
licensed  to  preach  the  gospel  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick, 
he  set  out  in  a  private  conveyance  for  the  new  field  of  his  labors 
in  North  Carolina,  in  September,  1796.  Stopping  in  Philadelphia 
to  pass  the  Sabbath,  he  preached  for  Dr.  Green  in  Arch  Street 
Church.  On  Monday  morning  he  was  visited  by  two  gentlemen 
to  procure  his  stay  in  the  city,  to  visit  and  preach  for  a  vacant  con- 
gregation, in  view  of  settlement.  Happily,  in  this  case  of  difficulty, 
— the  choice  between  a  congregation  in  the  most  pleasant  circum- 
stances in  a  flourishing  city,  and  the  laborious  occupation  of  a 
teacher  in  a  new  institution,  of  doubtful  issue,  and  small  present 
promise,  either  in  profit  or  fame, — he  had  an  adviser  in  Dr.  Ashbel 
Green,  since  so  long  and  so  extensively  known  in  the  church.  The 
opinion  of  this  judicious  man,  that,  if  he  should  be  blessed  of 
God  to  raise  up  an  institution  for  the  instruction  of  youth,  that 
should  be  worthy  of  the  name  of  The  University  of  North  Carolina, 
the  amount  of  usefulness  to  society  at  large,  and  to  the  Church  of 
Christ  in  particular,  would  far  outweigh  his  usefulness  as  pastor 
in  any  charge,  and  amply  compensate  him  for  any  labor  or  trial  he 
might  be  called  to  endure  for  its  accomplishment ;  that,  though  his 
success  was  doubtful,  and  there  were  many  trials  in  his  path,  the 
object  was  worthy  of  his  best  effort,   turned  the  scale  suddenly. 


542  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

Without  waiting  for  Mr.  Caldwell  to  reply,  the  Dr.  said,  somewhat 
abruptly,  "  he  is  on  his  way  to  Carolina,  and  to  Carolina  he  is  cer- 
tainly to  go.     To  speak  of  other  places  will  be  in  vain."     How 
true  it  is  that  words  fitly  spoken  are  like  apples  of  gold  in  baskets 
of  silver,  even  though  uttered,  as  Mr.  Caldwell  thought  these  were, 
with  abruptness.     It  was  good  counsel  to  a  worthy  person,  well 
followed,  and  crowned  with  great  success,  by  God's  blessing.    And 
was  it  not  of  God  that  Joseph  Caldwell  went  to  Chapel  Hill  ? 
The  widow  nursed  the  infant  boy,  on  whom  a  father's  face  never 
smiled  ;  a  southern  boy  gives  him  his  grammar  to  begin  his  lite- 
rary course  ;  the  President  of  Nassau  Hall,  Dr.  Witherspoon,  takes 
him  from  an  unemployed  life,  and  puts  him  to  the  college  desk  ; 
Austin  leads  him  into  the  study  of  Theology ;    Harris,  the  Pro- 
fessor, turns  his  attention  to  Chapel  Hill,  and  secures  his  election ; 
and  Green,  wise  in  counsel,  sends  him  on  to  his  field  of  labor, 
where  many  trials  awaited  him  before  he  should  get  his  crown. 
And  no  one  of  these  ever  seemed  to  be  influenced  by  an  opinion 
that  he  possessed  splendid  talents,  uncommon  genius,  or  peculiar 
taculties  for  some  wonderful  work  ;  but  by  a  conviction  that  there 
was  in  him  a  certain  something,  made  up  of  a  well-balanced  mind, 
probity  of  heart,  sense  of  propriety,  'and  desire  of  usefulness,  all 
clothed*  with  great  modesty,  that  marked  him  out  as  the  man  to 
accomplish  a  work  that  called  for  piety,  humility,  patience,  pru- 
dence, and  untiring  industry.     Evidently  God  sent  him  to  Chapel 
Hill. 

In  November,  1796,  he  entered  on  his  duties  in  the  infant  uni- 
versity.    Rightly  to  understand  his  labors,  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary to  take  a  survey  of  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  under 
which  he  labored  in  the  performance  of  his  duties,  and  in  his  efforts 
to  rear  the   institution  to  vigor  and  usefulness.     His  advantages 
were,  1st :   The  State  patronage  ;  some  permanent  funds  in  hand, 
and  much  more  in  prospect  from  the  increased  price  of  lands,  and 
the  escheats  and  debts  of  the  State,  which  had  been  appropriated 
by  law.     However  small  the  patronage  of  the  State  may  be,  yet, 
if  it  be  constant,  it  gives  an  advantage  in  gathering  students  and 
in  keeping  the  public  attention  so  as  to  increase  the  number  he 
might  have  at  any  given  time.     And  2d  :    The  influence  of  the 
forty  members  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  afterwards  increased  to 
sixty-five,  all  of  them  intelligent  and  influential  men,  and  desirous 
of  building  a  State  institution,  who  might  be  expected  to  assist  in 
gathering  students,  and  also  in  collecting  funds.     Being  chosen 
from  all  parts  of  the  State,  and  not  confined  to  politics  or  denomi- 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  543 

nation,  he  had  the  privilege  of  looking,  through  them,  to  the  whole 
State,  for  his  help.  And  3d  :  The  institution  being  entirely  in  its 
infancy,  he  had  the  opportunity  of  forming  its  first  shape  and 
spirit ;  on  the  given  spot  and  with  the  given  advantages,  he  planted 
the  acorn,  which  he  watered  and  cherished  and  pruned  to  the  vigor- 
ous oak,  whose  branches  now  overshadow  the  land. 

His  difficulties  were  great,  arising  from  the  nature  of  the  case 
and  from  human  nature.  1st.  There  were  in  operation  in  the 
State,  particularly  in  the  upper  part  of  it,  some  academics  of  high 
merit  and  established  reputation.  The  embryo  university,  without 
apparatus  and  without  a  competent  number  of  teachers  to  perform 
the  labors  of  the  university,  could,  after  all  the  patronage  of  the 
State,  offer  little  to  draw  students  from  these  established,  well 
known  schools,  to  come  to  Chapel  Hill.  It  was  by  no  means  evi- 
dent that  Mr.  Caldwell  was  superior  to  those  well  tried  teachers  : 
he  might  not  even  be  equal,  and  at  the  best  there  was  little  proba- 
bility that  he  would  immediately  surpass  any  of  these  academies. 
There  was  the  school  of  David  Caldwell  in  Guilford,  in  active 
operation,  sending  out  its  pupils  to  be  divines,  physicians  and  law- 
yers, and  ultimately  professors  in  institutions  and  judges  of  the 
courts  :  the  public  were  not  sure  that  Joseph  Caldwell  could  equal, 
much  less  excel  him.  And  then  there  was  the  academy  of  Dr. 
McCorkle,  one  of  the  Board  of  Trustees,  a  man  of  literature  and 
reading,  kept  in  the  bounds  of  Thyatira  congregation,  near  to  Sal- 
isbury. And  a  little  further  on  was  the  school  of  Rev.  Mr.  Wal- 
lis,  at  Providence,  twelve  miles  from  Charlotte,  a  man  of  logical 
mind,  connected  with  a  vehement  spirit,  afterwards  a  member  of 
the  Board  of  Trustees.  And  next  the  school  in  Bethany,  Iredell 
county,  under  the  direction  of  the  well  known  servant  of  God,  the 
Rev.  Capt.  James  Hall,  D.D.,  the  soldier  of  the  Revolution,  and 
the  leading  domestic  missionary  of  the  South.  Next,  the  school 
at  Rocky  River,  from  which  many  excellent  men  came.  And  next, . 
in  the  mountains,  now  a  part  of  Tennessee,  was  Martin  Academy, 
planted  by  Mr.  Doak,  and  by  him  enlarged  to  a  college,  the  nur- 
sery of  many  professional  men.  To  these  add  the  public  acade- 
mies of  Charlotte,  Mecklenburg,  which  occupied  the  place  of 
Liberty  Hall  and  Queen's  Museum ;  the  Academy  in  Duplin, 
which  has  been  more  or  less  flourishing;  Science  Hall,  near 
Hillsboro' ;  Warrenton  Academy,  under  Mr.  George j  who,  with 
Bingham  and  Kerr,  were  graduates  of  Trinity  College,  Dublin ; 
Granville  Hall,  and  the  academies  in  Edenton,  Ncwbern  and 
Onslow.     In  all  these  different  places  it  had  been  customary  for 


544  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

young  men  to  complete  their  classic  education,  if,  through  want  of 
funds  or  other  circumstances,  they  did  not  seek  for  further  instruc- 
tion at  Nassau  Hall,  or  some  New  England  or  foreign  college. 
And  it  could  not  immediately  appear  that  Chapel  Hill,  with  the 
name  of  University,  could  do  more  for  the  pupils,  or  as  much  as 
some  of  these  institutions. 

2d.  In  the  next  place  the  Board  of  Trustees  were  almost  en- 
tirely unacquainted  with  the  system  of  management  proper  for  an 
University.  The  only  Literary  and  Scientific*  institution  of  any 
importance  in  the  management  of  which  any  of  them  had  been  en- 
gaged was  Liberty  Hall,  unfortunately  of  too  short  duration,  on 
account  of  the  invasion  of  Cornwallis.  Many  of  them  had  never 
even  been  members  of  a  well  endowed  college,  having  received 
their  education  at  one  of  these  Academies,  or  at  some  institution  of 
a  similar  kind.  Mr.  Caldwell  probably  understood  the  proper 
management  of  a  University  better  than  the  whole  Board  by  whom 
he  was  to  be  guided,  and  to  whose  will  he  not  unfrequently  with 
reluctance  yielded,  till  longer  acquaintance  convinced  them  of  the 
propriety  of  listening  to  his  counsels  in  things  pertaining  to  the  dis- 
cipline of  the  students,  and  the  course  of  studies.  The  plan  of 
studies  at  first  proposed  partook  of  the  spirit  of  the  day,  and  is 
mentioned  not  as  singular,  for  all  public  institutions  felt  the  shock, 
but  as  a  part  of  that  peculiar  influence  on  a  new  institution,  mould- 
ing its  form  and  directing  its  course,  more  decidedly  than  it  could 
have  done  with  an  University  or  college  of  long  standing.  From 
a  card  published  by  a  Committee  of  the  Board  in  the  North  Caro- 
lina Journal  of  December  12th,  1792,  is  the  following  extract: — 
"  The  objects  to  which  it  is  contemplated  to  turn  the  attention  of 
the  students,  on  the  first  establishment,  are  the  study  of  languages, 
particularly  the  English ;  History,  ancient  and  modern ;  the  Belles 
Lettres ;  Logic  and  Moral  Philosophy  ;  Agriculture  and  Botany, 
with  the  principles  of  Architecture."  This  list  of  studies  is  faulty, 
not  in  what  it  embraces,  but  in  what  it  leaves  out.  There  was  a 
disposition  then  growing  in  the  United  States  to  put  a  lower  esti- 
mate on  the  acquisition  of  what  are  called  the  "  Dead  Languages,'1'' 
than  had  been  previously  the  habit  of  colleges  consecrated  by  im- 
memorial usage,  or  than  is  now  put  on  them  by  universal  consent. 
It  was  more  difficult  to  displace  them  from  their  seat  of  preemi- 
nence in  established  colleges,  than  to  introduce  them  to  an  institu- 
tion from  which  they  had  been  excluded.  Had  Joseph  Caldwell 
attempted  to  build  the  University  on  the  principle-  of  giving  the 
Dead  or  Classic  languages  a  lower  place  than  Logic  or  Belles  Let- 


REV.    JOSEPH     CALDWELL.  545 

tres,  or  the  English  language,  the   University  would  not  now  be 
that  nourishing  institution,  the  ornament  of  the  State.     He  must 
gain  the  confidence  of  a  Board  who  were  prepared  cheerfully  to  em- 
ploy him  as  the  teacher  of  youth,  but  not  at  all  ready  to  receive 
from  his  hands  the  actual  direction  of  the  whole  course  of  study 
and  general  discipline.     One  glance  at  the  subject  will  show  the 
difficulty  involved  in  the  situation  of  the  young  professor.     How 
many  trials  must  be  made  ;  how  many  years  pass  before  he  could 
gain  that  hold  on  the   confidence  of  the  trustees  and  the  commu- 
nity at  large,  to  enable  him  to  put  the  University  on  a  firm  founda- 
tion of  usefulness  and  success.     It  is  interesting  to  look  at  the 
progress  of  the  confidential  feeling  that  commenced  immediately  on 
his  entrance  upon  the  duties  of  his  office.     After  acting  one  year 
as  Professor  of  Mathematics  and  the  head  of  the  institution,  he  re- 
signed the  superintendance,   and  held  the   office  of  Professor  of 
Mathematics  ;  his  successor  failing  to  gain  the  confidence  of  the 
Board,  Mr.  Caldwell  was  induced  to  become  head  professor  again 
in  1799.     In  1804  he  was  elected  to  the  office  of  President,  being 
the  first  to  fill  that  chair  in  the  University.     In  1812  he  resigned 
that  office,  and  confined  himself  to  the  Mathematical  department ; 
but  his  successor,  as  in  the  former  instance,  failing  to  gain  the  con- 
fidence necessary  to  give  efficiency  to  his  discipline   and  instruc- 
tion, Mr.  Caldwell  was  again  called  to  the  chair,  in  1816,  and  con- 
tinued to  hold  the  office  till  the  day  of  his  death,  Tuesday,  Jan- 
uary 27th,  1835.     It  was  under  his  management  that  the  Univer- 
sity grew  from  a  high  school  to  the  flourishing  condition  in  which 
his  successor  found  it  so  favorable  for  his  talents   and  energy  to 
make  it  a  blessing  to  his  native  State  in  the  education  of  her  sons. 
The  third  difficulty  was  perhaps  the  more  perplexing,  requiring 
prudence,  forbearance,  and  yet  great  resolution,  together  with  con- 
fidence, the  child  of  experience  and  trial ;   this  was  the  religious 
state  of  the  university  and  of  the  public  mind  at  the  time  Mr. 
Caldwell  became  Professor.     It  is  now  a  matter  of  history  in 
philosophy,  politics,  and  religion,  that  the  discussion  that  had  been 
progressing  in  France,  in  which  all  religious  things  had  undergone 
the  same  revolutionizing  scrutiny  as  the  errors  in  politics  and  the 
misrule  of  the  government,  reached  America  some  time  previous 
to  Mr.   Caldwell's  connection  with  the  University.     The  whole 
subject  of  religion  was  investigated  anew.     The  arguments  against 
the  Bible  were  set  forth  in  formidable  array  ;  Paine's  Age  of  Rea- 
son  passed   from  hand  to  hand,  and  the  Infidel  productions  of 
France  flooded  the  country  ;  the  strongest  holds  of  religion  were 

35 


546  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

shaken  ;  and  in  many  places  the  arguments  for  reason,  as  para- 
mount to  revelation,  gained  a  temporary  victory.  Where  there 
were  faithful  and  learned  ministers  of  the  gospel  the  battle  was 
fierce  ;  where  there  were  none,  the  infidel  argument  for  a  time 
possessed  undisputedly  the  public  mind.  In  France  there  were 
hurtful,  degrading  superstitions,  and  wrongs,  and  outrages,  justified 
openly  in  the  view  of  the  nation  by  antiquity  and  the  claims  of 
religion,  on  which  the  excited  revolutionary  multitude  fed  and  fat- 
tened to  madness  ;  and  in  tearing  down  the  gross  deceptions  that 
had  been  built  up  through  the  land  as  castles,  and  convents,  and 
tithes,  and  orders  of  prelates,  and  of  nobility,  without  number  or 
mercy,  they  set  fire  to  the  whole  edifice  of  religion  in  France,  and 
in  the  dreadful  conflagration  of  ignorance,  and  superstition,  and 
misrule,  and  notorious  falsehood,  they  verily  believed  the  Everlast- 
ing Word  had  perished.  The  gospel  had,  in  the  opinion  of  the 
Infidel  party,  gone  with  the  royal  house  and  the  nobility  ;  and 
France  expected  liberty  "  when  the  neck  of  the  last  king  was 
strangled  by  the  bowels  of  the  last  priest." 

In  America  there  were  no  such  evils.  The  Revolution  had 
swept  off  the  political  wrongs  and  the  civil  misrule,  and  what- 
ever there  was,  in  the  different  States,  of  oppression  in  reli- 
gious things.  There  were  no  superstitious  or  hereditary  wrongs 
in  sacred  things  to  search  out  ;  no  time-honored  observances 
to  undo  ;  no  lost  rights  of  conscience  to  recover.  The  ques- 
tion was,  whether  the  Bible  was  true ;  and  all  the  influence 
of  France,  fresh  from  her  sympathies  in  our  contest  for  liberty, 
and  hot  in  her  struggle  for  her  own,  and  fervid  in  her  pursuit  of 
science,  of  fashion,  and  gaiety,  was  thrown  against  the  Bible.  In 
France  they  were  already  wicked ;  and  the  sweeping  away  of 
superstition  gave  relief  from  oppression,  and  the  commission  of 
some  sins  ;  and  France  appeared  to  the  philosopher  to  be  regene- 
rated by  the  change.  In  America  the  war  against  the  Bible  proved, 
in  the  end,  a  war  against  morality  and  domestic  enjoyments,  and 
wherever  infidelity  got  the  mastery,  there  the  community  suffered. 
In  France  rivers  of  blood  washed  out  the  stains  of  Atheism ;  in  Ame- 
rica the  voice  of  the  Bible  and  the  claims  of  society  were  at  length 
heard,  and  without  bloodshed  or  civil  commotion,  religion,  the  reli- 
gion of  the  Bible,  regained  her  ascendency.  The  evil  was  great, 
but  the  remedy  has  been  sure.  There  was  a  time  when  the  best 
men  feared  lest  infidelity  should  first  get  the  mastery  as  in  France, 
and  then  rivers  of  American  blood  wash  out  the  stains.  It  was 
while  infidelity,  of  which  Paine's  Age  of  Reason  was  a  text-book, 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  547 

was  striding  our  land,  the  University  went  into  operation.  The 
first  professor,  Mr.  Kerr,  who  had  been  a  Presbyterian  minister, 
and  had  preached  in  Fayelteville  some  two  years  after  his  arrival 
in  this  country,  had  abandoned  the  belief  in  inspiration,  and  while 
he  was  at  Chapel  Hill  was  an  infidel.  Holmes,  his  assistant 
teacher,  and  subsequently  a  professor  of  languages,  had  also  given 
up  the  gospel,  and  its  hopes,  and  was  a  believer  in  Paine,  whose 
writings  he  so  highly  prized,  that  the  only  volume  he  gave  the 
University  library,  contained  the  works  of  that  arch-infidel.  This 
unbelief  was  no  silent  exercise  of  his  own  opinion  permitting  the 
community  to  go  on  in 'the  belief  and  practice  of  Christianity,  each 
man  acting  as  he  might  choose  ;  in  the  communication  drawn  up 
by  the  Faculty  requesting  his  dismission  from  the  University,  they 
say,  "  he  teaches  that  there  is  no  such  thing  as  virtue ;  that  the 
love  of  virtue  is  no  more  than  superstition,  degrading  to  the  minds 
ef  men,  and  not  sure  to  answer  their  purposes.  That  to  shake  off 
its  obligations,  and  bend  with  ease  to  the  character  and  circum- 
stances of  the  times  so  as  to  advance  our  own  interest  or  ambition, 
is  the  best  morality.  That  therefore,  for  any  person  to  profess  to 
be  governed  by  the  fixed  principles  of  justice  or  honor,  of  truth  or 
generosity,  is  sufficient  to  stamp  him  as  a  hypocrite  and  a  designing 
knave,  "that  is  lying  in  wait  under  these  characters  for  the  happiness 
of  others."  Kerr  left  the  University  in  1795,  and  Holmes  in  1799. 
While  multitudes  in  Carolina  were,  as  in  other  parts  of  the 
United  States,  prepared  first  to  doubt  and  then  to  disbelieve  the 
Bible,  and  consequently  to  set  aside  religion  as  a  superstition, 
few  were  prepared  to  go  the  length  of  Paine  and  his  disciple 
Holmes,  and  deny  the  existence  of  moral  virtue.  And  when  the 
matter  was  fairly  presented  by  the  amiable  and  clear  minded 
Caldwell,  the  board  of  trustees  felt- that  if  rejecting  the  Bible  was 
rejecting  morality,  the  Bible  with  all  the  objections  that  had  been 
urged,  must  be  retained.  Mr.  Caldwell  tells  us  that  he  looked  to 
General  Davie,  one  of  the  leaders  of  the  Legislature,  "the  father 
of  the  house  "  as  he  was  styled,  that  session  of  the  Legislature 
he  attended  soon  after  his  arrival  in  Carolina,  and  that  he  was  a 
warm  friend,  supporter,  and  trustee  of  the  University.  He  tells 
us  that  he  had  long  and  most  interesting  communications  with 
him  on  the  subject  of  the  truth  of  the  Scriptures,  and  that  his 
mind  was  deeply  impressed  with  the  conversation.  Davie  had 
been  taught  in  his  youth  to  believe  the  Bible,  had  passed  through 
the  Revolution  with  honor,  doing  good  service  for  his  country  in 
the  camp,  was  high  in  the  respect  of  his  constituents,  and  had 


548  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH   CAROLINA. 

fallen  from  his  belief  in  the  Bible  taught  him  by  his  maternal 
uncle,  the  Rev.  William  Richardson,  whose  name  he  bore,  and 
whose  estate  he  inherited,  more  probably  by  sympathy  with  the 
popular  distrust,  than  by  argument.  Caldwell  gained  his  confi- 
dence and  possessed  his  friendship  to  the  last,  reviving  the  belief 
of  his  youth ;  and  who  can  say  but  that,  like  the  hero  of  the  Cow- 
pens,  he  at  last  looked  to  Jesus  and  found  life.  Harris,  who  di- 
rected the  attention  of  the  trustees  to  Mr.  Caldwell  as  his  suc- 
cessor, was  at  that  time  himself  shaken  in  his  belief,  and  thought 
the  Bible  was  to  be  abandoned.  But  his  young  successor  stood 
up  for  the  gospel  of  Christ ;  all  that  he  saw  of  the  fruits  and 
workings  of  infidelity  only  turned  his  heart  more  strongly  to  his 
God  and  Saviour.  "  Religion,"  he  says,  in  1797,  soon  after  his 
arrival,  "  is  so  little  in  vogue  and  in  such  a  state  of  depression, 
that  it  affords  no  prospect  sufficient  to  tempt  people  here  to  un- 
dertake its  cause.  In  New  Jersey  it  has  the  public  respect  and 
support ;  but  in  North  Carolina,  particularly  in  that  part  that  lies 
east  of  us,  every  one  believes  that  the  first  step  he  ought  to  take 
to  rise  into  respectability  is  to  disavow,  as  often  and  as  publicly 
as  he  can,  all  regard  for  the  leading  doctrines  of  the  Scriptures, 
They  are  bugbears  very  well  fitted  to  scare  the  mass  of  the  ig- 
norant, and  the  weak,  into  order  and  obedience  to  the  laws  ;  but 
for  men  of  letters  and  cultivated  reason,  the  laws  of  morality  and 
honor  should,  and  will  be  sufficient  for  the  regulation  of  their 
conduct." 

"  How  unhappy  is  it  for  these  men,  and  how  instructive  to  the 
rest  of  mankind,  that  the  whole  tenor  of  their  lives,  and  the 
wretched  state  of  their  society,  combine  to  exhibit  their  doctrines 
in  all  their  haggardness  and  shocking  deformity."  This  strong 
disgust  to  infidelity  from  its  effects  was  not  confined  to  the  Pro- 
fessor ;  there  being  no  superstitions  and  erroneous  observances  to 
be  thrown  off,  by  a  rejection  of  the  religion  of  Protestant  Carolina, 
the  denial  of  the  Bible  could  only  weaken  the  sanctions  of  virtue 
and.  morality,  and  taking  away  the  fears  of  future  retribution,  take 
away  the  fear  of  crime.  This  fact  staring  the  community  in  the 
face,  gave  the  amiable  Professor  the  advantage  in  his  argument ;. 
the  thinking  and  intelligent  were  made  to  feel  they  needed  some- 
thing like  the  Bible,  which  men  should  believe  to  be  true,  to  hold 
society  together.  Caldwell  was  not  what  is  termed  a  genius,  and 
probably  it  is  well  he  was  not ;  but  with  clearness  and  meekness,  he 
could  and  did  defend  the  religion  of  his  Lord  and  Master,  in  a  most 
difficult  position,  the  number  of  trustees  that  were  at  that  time  firm 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  549 

supporters  of  the  Bible  being  few,  though  there  were  some.  Whether 
he  could  have  raised  the  University,  had  he  yielded  to  the  wave 
that  went  over  the  land  and  swept  off  so  many,  we  need  not  now 
inquire  ;  but  this  is  certain,  he  fought  a  great  battle  without  noise, 
and  gained  a  great  victory  without  triumphing  ;  and  permitted  the 
anxiety  of  the  contest,  and  the  blessedness  of  the  victory,  to  pass 
along  the  current  of  events  without  exclamation,  or  demand  from 
his  coevals  or  posterity.  We  may  say  of  him,  as  was  said  of  a 
modest  and  noble  Virginian,  by  the  Speaker  of  the  House — "  Sit 
down,  sir,  sit  down,  your  modesty  is  equalled  only  by  your 
worth." 

The  last  difficulty  was,  the  smallness  of  the  funds  and  the  inade- 
quate support  yielded  by  the  patronage  of  the  State.  The  funds 
appropriated  by  the  State  were,  in  part,  soon  withdrawn,  and  the 
rest,  together  with  the  donations  of  individuals,  were,  for  a  time, 
unproductive.  It  was  not  till  1811,  that  by  an  excursion  through 
the  State, and  making  application  to  individuals,  a  listof  whose  names 
he  preserved,  and  the  amount  of  their  individual  donations,  he  ob- 
tained funds  to  erect  buildings  sufficient  to  accommodate  the  students. 
In  the  excursion,  he  received  812,000.  Notwithstanding  all  this, 
there  was  great  difficulty  in  obtaining  sufficient  means  to  afford  a 
proper  support  for  the  necessary  teachers.  The  wonder  is,  in 
looking  over  the  small  salaries  given  for  the  great  labor  required, 
in  a  situation  that  offered  little  attractive  in  the  forests  of  Carolina, 
that  able  men  could  be  obtained  to  bring  talents,  and  acquirements, 
and  labor  adequate  to  the  demands  of  the  rising  institution.  How 
could  a  President,  whose  doors  must  be  open  to  a  succession  of 
visitors,  sustain  himself  on  a  thousand  dollars  a  year,  and  get  his 
own  library — and  the  professors  and  tutors  on  a  proportionable 
salary — when  a  library  itself  costs  some  thousands  of  dollars  ? 
It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  men  could  be  found  to  attempt,  and 
more  so,  that  they  should  succeed  in,  such  an  enterprise. 

Happy  in  the  choice  of  his  assistant  Faculty,  and  blessed  with 
invincible  perseverance,  he  rejoiced  to  see  all  these  difficulties 
overcome.  In  1824  he  was  sent  to  Europe  "  in  order  to  direct  in 
person  the  construction  of  a  Philosophical  Apparatus,  and  to  select 
books  for  the  library."  At  his  death  he  left  the  University,  still 
limited  in  its  means,  with  buildings  for  the  accommodation  of  a 
large  number  of  students,  with  funds  for  the  honorable  support  of 
the  instructors,  with  a  respectable  library  and  apparatus,  and  an 
able  Faculty.  When  he  went  to  Chapel  Hill,  in  1796,  it  was 
doubtful  whether  anything  was  to  be  gained  in  literary  advantages 


550  SKETCHES    OF    NORTH    CAROLINA. 

at  the  Hill  over  the  private  schools  and  public  academies  in  the 
State  ;  and  certain  that  the  morals  and  principles  of  the  young 
men  were  in  great  danger  from  the  infidel  principles  that  prevailed 
among  the  teachers  : — When  he  died,  January  27th,  1835,  it  was 
the  best  institution  in  the  State  for  a  complete  classical  or  scientific 
course,  held  a  respectable  stand  abroad,  and  in  point  of  morals  as 
safe  as  any  in  the  land,  and  increasing  in  its  reputation.  So  it  is 
now  ;  and  so  may  it  be  for  ever. 

It  was  affirmed  that  the  building  of  the  University  exemplified 
the  genius  of  Presbyterianism.  This  it  does  in  the  following  par- 
ticulars :  1st,  It  shows  the  unconquerable  attachment  of  its  clergy 
to  a  sound  and  liberal  education  of  youth  :  2d,  their  ability  to  rear 
a  proper  institution  in  very  unpropitious  circumstances  :  3d,  their 
invincible  attachment  to  sound  principles  of  religion  and  morality  : 
and  4th,  their  public  spirit ;  that,  while  it  was  well  known  the 
University  never  could  become  a  Presbyterian  institution,  or  be 
under  the  direction  of  that  denomination,  but,  on  the  contrary, 
would  belong  to  the  State,  and  very  likely  always  be  under  a  board, 
the  large  majority  of  whom  should  not  be  Presbyterians,  and  an 
equal  proportion  of  the  Faculty,  or  even  all,  might  at  any  time  be 
adverse  to  Presbyterian  creed  and  order,  the  efforts  to  make  the 
institutions  of  the  State  worthy  of  the  State,  and  safe  for  her  sons, 
were  unremitted  and  unequalled.  Let  religion,  and  science,  and 
morality,  and  literature  prevail  in  the  Alma  Mater  of  the  future 
children  of  Carolina,  and  Joseph  Caldwell  was  satisfied :  if  his 
denomination,  which  he  loved,  might  not  have  its  control^  let  it  be 
controlled  by  whom  it  may,  only  let  the  streams  that  flow  from  it 
be  pure. 

The  false  notions  of  what  constituted  education  for  young  mem 
that  prevailed  in  the  early  part  of  his  labors,  might  have  been  men- 
tioned as  a  serious  difficulty  for  our  young  professor  to  encounter. 
In  the  year  1797,  one  warm  friend  of  the  University,  a  member  of 
the  board,  of  high  political  standing,  sent  up  to  Chapel  Hill,  with 
letters  of  introduction  to  Mr.  Caldwell,  and  high  recommendation 
of  excellence  in  his  profession,  a  dancing-master,  to  teach  the  boys 
manners,  with  expressions  of  a  hope  that  the  students,  with  the 
youths  in  the  neighborhood,  would  form  a  school  of  sufficient  in- 
come to  secure  the  services  of  this  eminent  gentleman,  with  his 
little  son.  This  was  not  done  in  opposition  to  Mr.  Caldwell ; 
there  is  every  evidence  of  frankness  and  candor  and  conviction  of 
propriety  in  the  gentleman.  The  difficulty  was,  that  very  many 
in  the  board  who  wished  well  to  the  institution,  did  not  understand 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  551 

fully  what  a  proper  education  was  ;  how  much  attention  should  be 
given  to  the  mental,  and  how  much  to  the  physical  training  ;  or 
even  what  this  training  should  be.  By  his  kindness  and  firmness, 
Mr.  Caldwell  kept  the  confidence  of  the  board,  and  led  them  to  the 
establishment  of  a  sound  and  liberal  course  of  education,  that  may 
advantageously  compare  with  other  institutions  ;  and  under  the  in- 
fluence of  strict,  religious,  and  elevated  morality.  Such  a  man  is 
an  ornament  of  his  church  and  generation. 

Previous  to  his  removal  to  Chapel  Hill,  he  had  been  licensed  to 
preach  by  the  Presbytery  of  New  Brunswick  ;  and  while  perform- 
ing the  office  of  professor  and  president,  he  did  not  forget  the 
preaching  of  the  Gospel.  He  judged  it  impolitic  to  take  charge  of 
any  congregation  in  the  neighborhood ;  and  in  that  he  doubtless 
judged  rightly ;  but  he  also  judged  it  proper  to  preach  the  gospel 
to  his  students,  and  occasionally,  abroad,  as  he  had  opportunity. 
As  there  was  no  regularly  organized  Presbyterian  church  in  the 
university,  and  Mr.  Caldwell  did  not  choose  to  be  connected  with  a 
congregation  in  the  neighborhood,  and  the  Synod  of  the  Carolinas 
being  particularly  opposed  to  ordaining  without  charge,  no  effectual 
steps  were  taken  for  his  ordination,  till  the  year  1810  ;  when  the 
Presbytery  of  Orange  overtured  Synod  for  leave  to  ordain  Mr. 
Joseph  Caldwell  of  the  university ;  and  the  Synod,  in  consideration 
of  his  usefulness  being,  in  all  probability,  greatly  increased,  author- 
ized the  ordination.  The  next  year  his  name  appears  upon  the 
records  of  Synod,  reported  from  Orange  Presbytery.  This  year 
(1811)  he  made  his  circuit  through  the  State,  to  collect  funds,  and 
everywhere  made  a  favorable  impression,  as  a  man,  a  Christian, 
a  minister,  and  the  head  of  the  university.  Having  received  the 
degree  of  A.M.  at  the  university  and  also  at  his  Alma  Mater,  the 
honorary  title  of  D.D.  was  conferred  by  both  institutions  ;  that  from 
Nassau  Hall  bears  date  in  1816,  the  year  he  was  the  second  time 
chosen  president.  In  1812  he  resigned  his  office  as  president, 
and  aided  in  procuring  Rev.  Robert  H.  Chapman  as  his  successor ; 
but  a  vacancy  occurring  by  the  resignation  of  Dr.  Chapman,  he  was 
recalled  to  the  chair,  and  filled  it  to  the  day  of  his  death. 

Dr.  Caldwell  might,  from  the  specimens  of  preaching  he  gave 
from  time  to  time,  have  excelled  as  a  pastor,  had  his  whole  time 
been  given  to  preaching  and  the  pastor's  office.  Plainness,  simpli- 
city and  kindness,  characterized  his  discourses  ;  often  great  strength 
and  distinctness  were  mingled  in  an  interesting  manner.  He  wrote 
and  published  a  variety  of  essays  on  the  subject  of  the  improvement 


552  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

of  the  mind,  and  the  soil ;  the  citizens,  and  their  State.  On  the 
subject  of  common  schools,  he  was  read  with  interest ;  and  his 
essays  on  improving  the  State  by  roads,  had  an  acknowledged  effect. 
But  his  great  work  by  which  he  was,  and  is  to  be  known,  was  the 
building  the  University  ;  leaving  to  the  State,  at  the  conclusion  of  a 
laborious  life,  an  institution  worthy  of  his  labors  and  their  fostering 
care. 

If  a  man's  talents  are  to  be  judged  by  the  works  he  accomplishes, 
Dr.  Caldwell  will  be  adjudged  a  man  of  talents.  If  the  excellency 
and  permanency  of  the  works  accomplished  are  a  standard  of  the 
degree  of  talents,  then  the  father  of  the  university  will  not  hold  a 
low  place.  He  was  not  esteemed  a  genius  by  his  contemporaries,  or 
looked  upon  as  a  man  of  splendid  performances  ;  but  when  his 
plans  and  operations  are  compared  with  his  contemporaries,  poste- 
rity will  judge  that  he  had  excellences  the  exertion  of  which  could 
not  be  fully  tested  till  years  had  tried  the  permanency  of  his  works, 
and  which  will  give  him  a  place  among  the  worthies  of  the  Presby- 
terian church,  and  the  benefactors  of  his  race. 

But  while  he  was  acting  on  the  most  enlarged  principles  and 
views,  he  did  not  suffer  himself  to  be  led  by  generalities  to  forget 
particulars  ;  laboring  for  the  whole  State,  he  did  not  forget  that  he 
was  a  Presbyterian,  and  a  Presbyterian  minister.  He  strongly  advo- 
cated and  encouraged  the  institute  at  Greensborough,  which,  in 
honor  to  him  for  his  services  to  literature,  and  religion,  was  named 
Caldwell's  Institute,  to  be  a  high  school,  under  the  especial  care 
and  discipline  of  the  Presbyterians,  in  which  teaching  the  doctrines 
of  the  Presbyterian  church,  in  connection  with  the  Bible,  should 
form  part  of  the  regular  exercises  on  the  Sabbath.  He  thought  it 
due  both  to  the  church  and  to  the  community,  that  such  an  institu- 
tion should  be  established ;  and  the  location  of  it  should  be  in  the 
county  where  some  of  the  earliest  Presbyterian  congregations  were 
formed,  and  where  the  trials  of  the  Revolution  had  been  known. 
He  also  schemed  a  plan  for  a  theological  institution  to  be  located 
somewhere  in  the  upper  country  of  Carolina,  in  which  his  sound 
judgment  and  practical  mind  were  eminently  displayed.  But  as  the 
theological  department,  in  connection  with  Hampden  Sydney,  had 
been  the  nursery  of  many  preachers  in  Carolina,  and  was,  about  that 
time,  in  progress  of  being  enlarged  to  a  full  and  complete  seminary, 
after  a  full  and  free  discussion,  he  laid  by  his  plan,  and  united  with 
the  Synod  of  Carolina  in  giving  support  to  Union  Seminary.  And 
no  man  acquainted  with  the  usefulness  of  Caldwell  Institute  or 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  553 

Union  Theological  Seminary,  in  training  and  sending  out  laborious 
servants  of  the  church  and  public,  can  for  a  moment  doubt  the  sound- 
ness of  his  conclusions,  or  fault  his  anticipations  from  these  semina- 
ries. 

The  active  part  he  took  in  the  internal  improvement  of  the  State, 
publishing  frequently  on  the  subject  in  the  regular  papers,  was  on 
the  principle  that  the  produce  of  the  mountains  and  upper  country 
of  Carolina  should  seek  the  ocean  through  a  port  on  the  sea  shore 
of  the  State  ;  and  for  this  purpose  passways  should  be  opened  from 
the  east  and  west,  sufficient  to  encourage  agriculture  and  popula- 
tion ;  the  products  of  the  west  should  be  the  riches  of  the  east ;  and 
the  enterprise  of  the  east  should  reward  the  labors  of  the  west. 
The  soundness  of  these  principles  will  one  day  be  discussed  again 
in  Carolina. 

Of  Dr.  Caldwell's  personal  religious  experience  we  have  an  ac- 
count of  much  that  is  interesting,  in  his  own  handwriting,  though 
less  in  quantity  than  could  be  desired.  He  commenced  in  the  lat- 
ter part  of  his  life,  an  autobiography,  which  he  carried  on  till  the 
period  of  his  journey  to  Chapel  Hill,  in  1796 ;  then  it  closed  ab- 
ruptly. From  that  manuscript  most  of  the  facts  respecting  his  early 
life  have  been  derived.  From  that  is  derived  the  following  infor- 
mation respecting  the  exercises  of  his  mind  and  heart. 

The  first  religious  exercises,  which  were  esteemed  by  him  worthy 
of  notice,  as  religious  exercises,  were  felt  while  he  resided  with  his 
mother  at  Bristol.  The  escape  from  a  watery  death  has  been  men- 
tioned, and  also  his  mother's  kind  treatment.  He  says  the  alarm  at 
the  thoughts  of  immediate  death  was  inexpressible,  and  led  him 
to  pious  resolutions :  but,  "  the  feelings  gradually  faded  from  my 
thoughts,  and  I  lived  as  heedlessly  as  ever." — "  But  a  circumstance 
which  most  impressively  marks  this  period,  is,  that  here  1  began, 
for  what  reasons  I  know  not,  to  turn  my  thoughts,  with  greater 
earnestness  than  before,  on  the  subject  of  religion.  A  part  of  the 
time  while  I  was  in  this  village,  my  mother  went  abroad,  leaving 
me  to  board  at  a  neighbor's  table.  This  was  so  near,  that  one  of  the 
rooms  in  the  house,  which  she  occupied,  was  left  open  for  my  use, 
both  day  and  night.  There  1  slept ;  and  whenever  I  chose,  to  this 
I  retired.  I  got  hold  of  a  religious  book,  and  finding  it  gave  me 
pleasure  in  the  reading,  I  would  sit,  or  traverse  the  room  alone, 
reading  with  an  interest  that  grew  so  as  utterly  to  preclude  every 
disposition  to  stop.  My  feelings  were  excited  by  it,  and  they  grew 
into  ardor  and  intensity.     I  deserted  all  amusement.     My  reading, 


554  SKETCHES  OF  NORTH  CAROLINA. 

my  reflections,  and  a  gratifying  sense  that  I  might  be  engaged  in 
the  service  of  God  and  have  his  approbation,  abstracted  me  from 
any  of  the  diversions  that  occurred  to  my  mind." 

"  My  experience  at  that  time  was  probably  one  of  the  first  fruits 
of  the  pious  sentiments  which  my  mother  had  instilled  into  me  from 
the  first  dawnings  of  reason.  She  was  not  there ;  but  the  spirit  of 
God  was,  doubtless,  fostering  these  principles  in  my  heart,  and  re- 
ducing them  into  action.  I  have  since  reverted  to  the  few  days 
which  passed  in  these  circumstances,  and  with  these  emotions  alive 
in  my  bosom,  as  among  the  most  grateful  seasons  of  my  life,  and  to 
be  remembered  with  renovated  satisfaction." 

"  While  living  in  Newark  my  religious  impressions  were  often 
renewed.  I  do  not  know  that  I  resisted  them,  or  strove  to  repress 
or  shake  them  off,  but  it  is  very  certain  that  at  various  times  when 
they  had  been  felt  with  much  force,  alarm  of  conscience,  and  a  dis- 
solving tenderness  of  affection,  they  soon  passed  away,  and  I  be- 
came as  thoughtless  and  careless  as  ever.  Dr.  M'Whorter's  preach- 
ing was  generally  animated,  plain  and  practical.  He  sometimes 
became  warm,  pointed  the  guilty  sinner  to  the  coming  wrath,  showed 
the  danger  of  growing  hardened  to  all  the  considerations  of  God's 
mercy,  his  justice,  his  judgments,  the  means  of  grace,  the  opportu- 
nities of  improvement,  the  uncertainty  of  life,  dread  consequences 
of  failing  to  prepare  in  this  time  of  discipline  and  probation  for  the 
eternity  that  is  to  follow.  I  would  come  home  like  the  wounded 
hart,  with  the  arrow  in  my  side ;  but  it  dropped  off,  the  wound 
closed,  and  it  ceased  to  be  remembered." 

Again  the  Dr.  says  of  himself,  in  his  review  of  his  early  life: — 
"  I  can  remember  many  occasions  in  those  early  years,  in  the  vari- 
ous places  in  which  they  were  passed,  when  my  reflections  were 
directed  on  God,  a  future  state,  and  the  eternal  world.  The  interest 
I  took  in  them  when  they  were  impressed  upon  me  by  the  scriptures, 
or  by  any  other  cause,  was  the  same  in  its  aspect  and  species  as  it 
has  been  through  late  years.  The  intervals  sometimes  are  apparent 
as  to  their  cause,  and  sometimes  they  seem  to  have  become  irrecov- 
erably lost  to  my  remembrance.  Whether  they  had  a  connection 
with  one  another,  and  by  what  ties  of  circumstances,  or  thought,  or 
emotion,  as  they  were  successively  renewed,  it  would  be  impossible 
for  me  to  determine,  though  to  the  spirit  of  God  who  produced  them 
and  witnessed  all  their  effects,  they  are  present  now  as  at  the  mo- 
ment when  they  agitated  my  bosom."  Sometimes  I  would  return 
from  church  with  a  heart  deeply  affected  with  the  considerations 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  555 

presented  there  of  my  obligations  to  God  for  his  goodness  in  the 
ordinary  blessings  of  food  and  raiment,  relations  and  friends,  health 
and  pleasures,  connected  with  it.  Conscience  impressed  upon  me 
portentously  the  consequences  of  my  thoughtless  ingratitude.  The 
prospects  of  heaven  to  the  good,  and  the  endless  misery  of  the  wicked, 
drove  from  me,  for  a  time,  every  wish  for  the  amusements  on  which 
I  was  commonly  intent." 

"  The  love  of  God  in  sending  his  Son  into  the  world  to  redeem 
me  from  death,  and  open  the  way  to  Heaven,  combined  with  all  its 
force  in  impressing  my  conscience  with  the  responsibility  imposed 
by  this  consummation  of  mercy.  My  mother  ivas  often  engaged  in 
giving  me  religious  instruction,  and  deepening  its  impression  upon 
my  heart.  Sometimes  an  accident  would  happen  to  set  before  me 
the  utter  uncertainty  in  which  I  lived.  The  death  of  a  neighbor,  by 
sickness,  or  by  some  sudden  accident,  the  grave-yard,  the  darkness 
of  night,  when  in  solitude,  naturally  plunging  my  thoughts  into  the 
spiritual  world ;  everything  of  this  nature  exerted  in  me  a  sense  of 
religion,  a  reference  to  God,  and  to  the  danger  I  was  in  of  being  lost 
for  ever  if  I  should  die  without  being  made  the  subject  of  his  sav- 
ing grace.  It  was  all  the  striving  of  his  spirit  to  prevent  me  from 
being  wholly  engrossed  with  the  earth,  and  to  educate  me  in  the 
school  of  his  providence  for  better  and  more  glorious  purposes  than 
the  interests  and  pleasures  of  a  mere  earthly  existence.  An  excel- 
lent practical  writer  on  Keeping  the  Heart,  remarks,  that  Provi- 
dence is  like  a  curious  piece  of  tapestry,  made  of  a  thousand  shreds 
which,  single,  appear  useless,  but  put  together  they  represent  a  re- 
gular and  connected  history  to  the  eye." 

While  residing  with  Mr.  Austin  in  Elizabethtown,  these  impres- 
sions were  ripened  into  the  deep  conviction,  that  it  was  his  duty  to 
devote  himself  to  the  services  of  God  in  the  gospel  of  Christ.  How 
far  he  fulfilled  the  covenant  of  his  devotion  and  performed  the  duties 
of  a  Christian  Minister  to  his  fellow-man,  his  services  in  the  Uni- 
versity of  North  Carolina  will  abundantly  testify. 

In  one  of  the  elegant  society  rooms  in  the  University  is  a  bust  of 
Dr.  Caldwell,  taken  after  his  death,  and  a  portrait  drawn  in  his  ear- 
lier years.  The  bushy  eyebrows,  and  overhanging  forehead,  and 
calm  countenance  of  the  bust,  impress  the  beholder  with  the  power 
of  reflection,  self-possession,  and  unshaken  firmness,  combined  with 
an  amiable  disposition. 

There  is  a  monument  erected  for  him  near  the  College  buildings, 
in  the  beautiful  grove,  but  at  present  it  is  without  an  epitaph.    The 


556  SKETCHES    OF  NORTH    CAROLINA. 

omission  was  undesigned.  But  could  the  generation  with  whom  he 
lived  write  his  epitaph  ? 

He  wrote  his  biography,  or  rather,  began  to  write  it,  in  his  old 
age.  In  that,  as  we  have  seen,  he  refers  with  tenderness  and  emo- 
tion to  the  fervency  of  his  early  experience.  From  that  single 
circumstance,  we  should  be  satisfied  that  the  pure  flame  was  burning 
with  the  brightness  of  youth  and  the  intensity  of  experienced  age. 
The  testimony  of  others  is,  that  "  the  nearer  he  approached  his  God, 
he  but  loved  him  the  more."  It  is  not  improbable  that,  in  his  mul- 
tiplied duties,  his  personal  piety  may  for  a  time  have  suffered  ;  his 
friends  have  thought  it  did !  They  may  have  been  mistaken.  But 
the  same  friends  also  thought  that,  in  his  advanced  years,  the  flame 
burned  more  brightly  on  the  altar  of  devotion,  and  that  he  became 
more  lovely  as  he  became  more  heavenly  minded. 

As  the  University  increased  in  numbers,  and  the  students  could  be 
admitted  to  a  much  less  degree  of  intimate  acquaintance,  it  is  very 
probable  the  President,  looked  at  from  the  distance  of  pupils  that 
saw  him  more  in  the  executive  duties  of  his  offiice,  and  less  in  his 
domestic  tenderness,  appeared  more  stern  than  kind,  more  resolute 
than  forbearing.  That  the  government  of  the  University  was  an  unit, 
and  the  President  was  really  that  unit,  after  consultation,  cannot, 
perhaps,  be  denied, — it  was  never  concealed  nor  boasted  of.  "  Were 
I  to  live,"  said  one  who  had  served  under  him  in  the  University, 
"  under  one  who  governed  with  despotic  sway,  I  would  choose 
Dr.  Caldwell  before  any  other  man  I  have  known."  Before  the 
discipline  of  the  University  was  settled  upon  its  firm  basis,  which 
was  a  work  of  years,  an  outbreak  among  the  students  gave  an  ex- 
hibition of  Dr.  Caldwell.  For  some  unusual  delinquency,  the  Dr. 
had  determined  upon  discipline  unusually  severe.  This  caused  great 
excitement.  The  delinquents  and  their  friends  determined  on  resist- 
ance, and  mistaking  the  Doctor's  disposition,  proposed  to  intimidate 
him  as  their  remedy  in  the  last  resort.  As  he  was  returning  from 
the  chapel  to  his  residence,  they  met  him  at  the  mouth  of  the  ravine 
near  his  dwelling,  now  filled,  and  clamorously  demanded  some  relax- 
ation of  his  terms.  He  heard  their  demands,  and  calmly  refused, 
and  resumed  his  course ;  in  their  excitement,  they  swung  their  canes 
as  if  for  an  attack,  and  some  of  them  were  athletic  young  men,  and 
appeared  to  be  closing  round  him,  that  he  should  go  no  further  till 
he  relented.  With  an  unruffled  countenance  he  moved  on,  saying — 
"  Strike,  young  gentlemen,  but  remember  the  consequences."  Al- 
though, in  physical  strength,  he  was  altogether  in  their  power,  the 


REV.    JOSEPH    CALDWELL.  557 

young  men  felt  that  he  was  unconquerable  and  irresistible,  and  gave 
up  the  contest.  To  many  of  the  students  it  is  probable  that  he  ap- 
peared rather  the  unconquerable  President  than  the  amiable  man. 
But  others  beside  his  family  knew  that  kindness  was  his  nature,  and 
severity  the  conviction  of  his  judgment. 


P.  S. — Materials  for  additional  chapters  are  in  readiness,  but 
the  size  of  the  present  volume  forbids  their  publication.  These 
materials,  together  with  a  selection  from  sermons  by  Hall,  Caldwell, 
M'Gready,  M'Pheeters  and  others,  would  form  an  instructive 
volume 


02 


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